{Fall Commeth Quickly}

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As I mourn the passing of summer, a part of me welcomes the coming of fall.  There is a calm that seems to settle around me as the air turns cooler and the leaves start to change their color. 

I am content to stay home after work, wrapped in blankets and crafting or reading after the dishes are done and leftovers are put away.   Sunshine and warmth beckons me outside to wander, yet the chilly air leads me home.

The seasons of Michigan are beautiful, although I do wish that winter here didn’t last six out of twelve months.  But fall in Michigan brings a bit of something magical along with it.  In my mind, it’s almost as if Tinkerbell comes from the depths of her Neverland to sprinkle pixie dust on all us busy people, steeped in our oblivion. It helps me open my eyes and see the beauty in my surroundings. 

Fall is enchanting.  The crunching of leaves under my feet, people lined up for Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks, and the parade of scarves, boots, and hats that I see everywhere.   I watch through the window and see people smile as the crazy wind whips their hair all around until they can hardly see through the tangled mess.  I see them laughing as they try to juggle umbrellas and bags, until they give up and just make a run for it. 

People are talking about gift-giving, cozy decorations, and passing around yummy candles to smell.  Soups are simmering on the stove and bread is baking in the oven.  You come home and everything smells so good, so inviting. 

Football games, bonfires with roasted marshmallows, crafty projects, jazzy music, knitting scarves, drinking hot cider, sleeping with open windows and listening to the sounds of wind and rain whirling around outside.  There are visits to apple orchards, hay rides and homemade cider with donuts.  Neighborhood homes have wreaths on doors and are scattered with pumpkins & gourds on doorsteps.  The scene makes my heart happy.  

I take a deep breath and sigh a happy little sigh. 

Fall is here, and I never get tired of anticipating its arrival.  I know soon I will be longing for spring, the green grass and birds singing in the trees, but I am glad that to everything there is a season, and for today, this season is mine.  I will stand breathless as I watch it bursting forth with incomparable beauty and explosions of color, hand painted by the God of the universe, here for us to enjoy.