Our latest weather report shows the first frost of the season descending on our little town in southcentral Idaho tonight. Some weather reports I raise an eyebrow at, questioning if the prediction will prove true or not.
Despite the summer-like days weather we have been experiencing, warm days and warmer nights, I do not question the weatherman’s claim for tonight’s frost.
Yes, I think it will freeze. I can feel it in the air.
The cold breeze. The harvest sky. The sudden drop in temperature. And just the unmistakable feeling of fall.
Loving Fall
I have always loved this time of year.
For as long as I can remember, fall (autumn) has been my favorite season. My favorite time of year. Perhaps my love for fall came partly because I am a farm kid. As a farm kid fall meant more time at school and doing homework, and less time doing farm work. Fall meant we could finally, finally quit pushing water on all the fields. It meant harvest was happening, or about to happen. And thanks to my mother’s bounteous garden, it meant fresh made garden salsa with a side of chips.
The longer nights, the cooler weather, the transition from outdoor play to more hours of indoor play – everything culminates to a feeling of fall. That feeling that sinks down into the bones like a deep breath. It’s as if the earth around us is taking a deep breath. A breath of calm, a breath of collection after the hustle-bustle, crazy frenzy of summer activities.
Yet even if you aren’t into plaid or snuggle blankets, there is simply no denying the coziness of fall.
True, there is still plenty to do. There is still a lot of work that needs done.
But somehow, despite the to-do list, I think heaven sends us fall so we can take a deep breath.
The beautiful scenery that makes us want to pause and snap a picture. The falling leaf that offers us a moment of peace and simplicity as we watch it drift to the ground, landing on the cold sidewalk, the blunt cut grass, or maybe in the reflection of an awaiting puddle. And in that moment, you just can’t help but feel peace. That is what I love about fall.
Law of the Harvest
I was a neighbor’s today, collecting extra squashes and peppers that were being offered. Through the local grapevine, I learned that this neighbor annually opened her garden up to anyone who wanted or needed the produce. This particular neighbor runs a market during the summer and early fall months, but once the market season is over, she offers up any and all vegetables and melons to neighbors, friends, and people throughout the area. Giving back in some small way to a community she felt had given so much to her.
I find myself reflecting on this woman this evening as I sit down to write this post. A woman who has worked hard all summer raising rows of pepper plants, tomatoes, pumpkin, squashes, watermelons – so many varieties of each. Planting, watering, weeding, weeding again. All of it by hand. And in her joy and thanksgiving at the bounteous harvest she has, she is happy to share with those around her.
It is humbling to see. Humbling and inspiring.
As I sit here typing, sipping a warm drink and wishing the warmth from my sweater would do more justice to my toes, as the cold air settling in outside creeps its way through the walls of my home, I am reminded that fall is not just about cozy and flannel sheets; it is not just about pushing to get everything harvested (though, there is definitely a real motivation to push for crop and garden harvest); it is not just about fall colors, kids jumping in a pile of raked leaves, or baking everything pumpkin you can find a recipe for. Fall truly is a time of gratitude and giving.
I realize it is still October, and Thanksgiving isn’t for another five weeks.
But I do not think I am at in left field to declare that showing gratitude for what you’ve been given and voicing an audible ‘thank you’ while on your knees is not something that should wait until Thanksgiving. It is something that should happen each and every day.
This time of year when we get to see the tangible reward from our many hours of thought, labor, sweat, and sometimes tears, it is a time of gratitude. Whether your harvest this year is better or worse than expected, I hope we can all take that opportunity to pause, appreciate the beauty of the season, give a thought of wonder to the world around us, take our knees to the ground with a word of gratitude, and then take a look at our neighbors and ask how can I help. And then do it!
Appreciating the autumn beauty, rejoicing in the harvest, and serving in small and simple ways, that is what this harvest season is meant for. That is how it feels like fall.
