To me Fall will always be the most spectacular of the seasons. By the end of Summer the bright, green buds that gave the promise of new life in the early Spring have turned into dark green leaves. Having grown all they can they are content to just exist, sleepy and satisfied. Then one day a single leaf begins to change and release its true colors hidden within. As the cool night gives way to a warm morning this single leaf turns a brilliant red that stands out beautifully in the sea of green.

Soon other leaves join it lighting up the Maple trees with their red radiance. Golds begin to appear too in all their glory. Other leaves decide to become yellow and shine like little suns in the daylight. Still others glow orange and flutter in the Autumn breezes. Some leaves even decide to become unique combinations of all of these colors. As the weeks pass deep, rich burgundies and earthy browns appear on the Oaks as well until the mountains of my home are a cascade of colors that delight the heart and uplift the soul. Even after they fall to the ground the season is still not over because now there is a colorful, crunchy carpet for the children to run and play on. And when the cold days of Winter finally cover these leaves in snow they still continue on, nourishing the soil to provide new life to the next generation of leaves and thus completing their part in God's glorious creation.

We all should follow these leaves' example and allow our own true colors to shine through. We all have a unique brightness within. We all have a love and light that we are supposed to share. We all are meant to take our place in God's loving plan.

Share your true colors then. Let your love, laughter, kindness, and joy brighten the souls of everyone around you. Make your life both a brilliant Autumn and an eternal Spring.