Ready for Fall

I love spring and summer. I am cold natured. You can ask my students. I keep the room much warmer than they want it. Last year I tried to convince them that because of budget cuts, we could not keep the temperature below seventy-eight degrees.  The other day one of my students said, "Ms. Adams, I am hotter than a hooker in church!"  I just never know what they are going to say!.

Needless to say, I enjoy the summer.  But even I get ready for fall to roll around.  There are so many great things about the fall.    I just love it when I walk outside in the mornings and there is a "nip" in the air.  There is so something special about Friday night football games when it is cool.  I grew up in farming country, and there is nothing like the smell of peanuts being harvested.

Amazingly, I am even ready for winter when it rolls around.  I love bundling up in sweaters and coats.  I love sitting around a firepit with the ones of love.  Of course, winter also means it is time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's the most wonderful time of the year.  The perfect winter happens for us in the South about once every ten years when we get a light blanket of snow.

Thankfully, our winters are relatively short.  Since I am so cold natured, that is a good thing.  I usually end up with outside duty on the coldest days of the year.  It is just painful.  So when spring begins to show itself, I am ecstatic.  I love those first few warm days when I go to the beach.   It is absolutely perfect.  The wind blowing makes it a little cool, but with the warm sun beating down, it is perfect!

Here is my point:  I love all the seasons.  They all have their drawbacks, but by the same token, there are so many wonderful things about each season.

I talked with my friend, Rachel, recently.  She said to me, "Amy, I know that God has a wonderful new season waiting for you."  I remember in the beginning of this journey thinking that I did not want to transition into a new season in life.  I liked the one I was in just fine.  It was wonderful, and I loved it deeply.  But that season has passed.  As much as I wanted to cling to it, it has passed away from me as easily as the summer gives way to fall.  Now I can sit around and wish for the long, lazy days at the beach.  I can walk in my backyard and regret that all the daylilies have ceased blooming.  On the other hand, I can think about going up to the lake and seeing the beautiful, breathtaking trees in all their glory as they change colors.  When I go into my backyard, I can look over at the firepit and just imagine all the good times to be had sitting around it with good friends.  I can almost taste the s'mores now!

So in the same way that I look forward to all the joys of fall, I anticipate the new season in my life.  I have seen glimpses of it, and it is turning out to be really good.  I really enjoyed the last season of my life.  I hoped that it would never end, but it did.  Now I have a choice to either sit around and long for the happy, lazy days of summer, or I can look forward to the delights of fall.  I choose to look forward.  My friend is right. God does have a new season for me, and it will be good.    And you know what else?  Some of those summer days were pretty hot and miserable, so the cool days of fall are going to feel really good!

Psalm 23:6 (New Living Translation)


Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.