LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

There were a hundred hints of Autumn in the wind when I took my dogs outside this morning. The air was cooler and drier than it had been for months. The Queen Anne’s Lace and Black Eyed Susan’s seemed to be shivering in the September Sun. Our puppy, Fluffy was carrying around a freshly fallen leaf in his mouth. Overhead a flock of ducks seemed to be debating whether or not it was time to head south. I breathed in deep and smiled. This was my favorite time of the year. I closed my eyes for a moment and was amazed when a thousand Autumn memories mixed and mingled in my mind.

I was a four year old carrying an armful of colorful leaves into the house to give to my Mom. I was a young boy riding my bike down a hill with the wind whistling past my face. I was standing on the football field before practice laughing with my friends. I was riding the school bus watching the changing leaves with my lunch box on my lap. I was walking in the woods wondering why some leaves turn a rich red, while others turn a brilliant yellow and still others turn an awe inspiring orange. I was a young dad pushing my son and daughter on the swings at the school yard on a Saturday afternoon. I was raking a crunchy carpet of Maple and Oak leaves into a pile in my Dad’s front yard so my niece and nephew could jump in them. I was walking around a local lake with my children taking in the Fall colors and wondering why the prettiest season seemed to be the shortest. I was sitting on my back porch drinking tea, thanking God for another glorious Autumn afternoon and wondering if in Heaven it was Autumn all of the time.

As I bathed my mind in these memories I looked forward to another wonderful Autumn here and thanked our Heavenly Father for this special season. I remembered what Ralph Waldo Emerson had once said: "Beauty is God’s handwriting." I wondered too if God had a special pen just for Autumn.

We are all traveling through time in this world. We are all strolling through sweet seasons in this life. We are all creating memories every moment of everyday. May we always take the time then to appreciate all of God’s wonders. May we always take the time to add our own love, joy, and beauty to them.