Autumn Transformations

::just in the door from school

::apples being put to good use

::nothing smells as good as applesauce cooking on the stove

::or tastes as good as apples stolen from the pot

::things are starting to look spooooky!

::brownies and milk by candlelight, courtesy of our shorter days

 

::three little wiggle worms and three books

My, autumn truly is in the air, isn't it?  I'm not one to play favorites, but oh, I do love autumn.  Something about the way that the cool weather makes one turn inwards, right to the center of the home.  This year that cocooning feels especially significant because certain fledglings are making us realize the sacredness of this time together in the nest.

Fall has been full of transitions (school, and preschool, and budding toddlerhood, and did I mention we're getting our basement finished? We've been staying busy!).  We have all been delighting in the new experiences, and at times have felt utterly exhausted.  Walking in the door and collapsing on the bed sort of exhausted.  Receiving a well meaning suggestion from a sibling and bursting into tears sort of exhausted.  Just plain old exhausted.  After all, this is quite a lot to adjust to!

The movement of the seasons reminds me that change can be beautiful and tiring at the same time.   Animals hurriedly stowing away for winter beneath a canopy of crimson.  Farmers gathering an abundance of fall crops before frost sets in.  Changes are coming, that we know from experience.  And it's in our best interest to gracefully roll with it.  And the good news is that beneath all of this change and transformation, there is a stability. 

Over the years, things will change and shift: activities, jobs, schooldays, and friendships. But there's something so special about these families that we've been placed in that give us an opportunity to see the depth and power of love.  And at its best, that is what you will experience in a family: that you are perfectly loved, just as you are.  A love that you can carry with you wherever you go.