Legends of the Fall

Fall is what it is, legends and all. (Cue Sleepy Hollow, Halloween & Thanksgiving)

The obvious and most notable change during autumn can be found in trees, old, new, Maple or Oak. Whatever genus, the colorful display never ceases to amaze. One can perfectly understand why Leaf Watching is so popular in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont, or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.

Here in Alabama, we take whatever pleasure we can get. Some seasons we're treated to a magestic display. Most of the time, we see leaves on the trees and then we don't. They're gone in a wink, floating on the breeze. No one likes to rake them up, but the piles are oh! so fun to jump on when the raking is done.

There's also nothing like walking on leaves in the woods. Brittle and noisy beneath adventurous feet, the world is a different place when a carpet of spent leaves covers the ground.

Leaves are symbolic of life. They wither and die only to be reborn in a fresh new display every spring, shielding heads from the heat of the day in summer or bracing against storms which pop up unannounced. Trees are a testament of time, patience and endurance. Like families do, branches spread out to cluster and build the canopy that protects the main stem.

As the years come and go, people are like seasons. Mankind goes through the same sort of metamorphosis. For many, Fall is a favorite time of life. Here children are grown, life settles down and couples share time alone for the first time in many, many years (unless your mother moves in). For me, Fall is Football, sweaters, boots, Burnt Sienna, Pumpkins, Spice, Cider, Hot Chocolate, everything that whispers winter is on its way. It's time to slow down, to take stock in the joys of life and remember to be thankful to God, those you love and those who've helped you get from Spring to Summer and Fall.

Julie Andrews sang about her favorite things in The Sound of Music. What are your favorite things about fall? What thrills you as winter approaches?