A month of Thanks ~Autumn

I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud.
So I like best of all autumn, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tones mellower, its colors richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow.
Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring,
nor of the power of summer,
but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age.
It knows the limitations of life and is content.

Lin Yutang

Today I am thankful for autumn. I love this time of year. I love curling up with a blanket and a comfy sweatshirt. I love being able to use the fireplace. My mouth starts watering for pecan pie and pumpkin flavored breads. I even love the smell of autumn. Somehow the air is crisper. I will admit that the colors here in South Carolina cannot quite compare with the brilliant reds and oranges of Pennsylvania. The colors are a little more muted, a little less brilliant, and I find myself longing for a glimpse of the mountains. But that being said, the view outside my bedroom window is still beautiful. My room looks out over a small pond in the backyard. The morning sun hits my side first, and the yellow leaves reflecting on the pond is still quite beautiful. And I am loving the 65-70 degree weather in November!

Someone once told me they hated fall because it marked the approach of winter, and that soon everything would be dead and cold. I've never looked at fall that way. I guess perhaps the leaves are dying in a sense, but not the tree itself. I look around at the colors and think that there is beauty even in the dying. The fading colors send a promise that winter doesn't last forever, and spring will be here before you know it.

So today I am thankful for autumn. For the beauty that I see all around, for the holidays that are coming up, and for the promise that each season is not forever.