Fall Time!

My toddler, Ella, was asking me why the leaves were changing the other day. We talked about chlorophyll and the nature of seasons, how everything goes to sleep for winter and begins fresh in the spring. And it occurred to me, and I told her, that watching the seasons change is one of the many exciting aspects of life. We can watch the progress (dare I say miracle?) of birth, growth, life, fruition and expiration right in front of our eyes. What wonder, what happy circumstance, that we should witness the flourishing and unfurling of creation year in, year out. And what a marvel that every season should have its peculiar charms. October is resplendent with apples and pumpkins and the onset of reds, oranges and yellows. And then consider with me the bright chill of a November morning, seasoned with the musk of the final leaves on the ground. In the autumn mornings we can sense the frost getting a bit more serious and see it getting thicker, and watch our breath coming in giant dragon clouds out of our mouths. Each evening we can see the darkness lapping up into the afternoon, minute by minute, like an incoming tide.
Oh the magic!
And then, winter comes.....