The beauty in the seasons

October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. ~Nova Bair

The leaves are turning, giving the mountains bursts of color. The air is getting crisp, requiring a light jacket. Fall is upon us.

Although I love all seasons, fall is probably my favorite. I love jacket-weather. Maybe that's why I have a slight jacket addiction. When fall appears, you know that winter is around the corner. And, although some find the season depressing, I find winter comforting.

Fall and winter are the times when my family mosts gets together. We celebrate major holidays like mother's day and Easter together, sure, but some of my family members are so far away that Christmas is their only chance to be with us. Christmas is the one holiday that hardly anyone misses.

However, before you can get to Christmas, you have to celebrate Thanksgiving and experience fall. I think that God gave us these bright colors to remind us that it is a time for celebration. The trees are having a party. We survived the "harvest" and the summer and the year is winding down.

It's the time when stores are decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, all at the same time. As much as that annoys me, I also find it humorous. It's the time when the Christmas shopping dash begins, which is something I think people stress out about too much.

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. ~Fr. Alfred D'Souza

For many people, fall is full of stress. Worries about what to buy, what to do, etc. They focus too much on what is coming to notice what is happening. They fail to see the beauty in the brilliant leaves.

That's another reason they're so bright, so people would be more likely to notice the beauty. There's beauty in every season, even in the dead of winter--that's when the stars shine their brightest.

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence