The First Hint of Fall

Fall Is Around the Corner

I have a dear friend who has been part of my life for more than 30 years.

Every year, somewhere in those dog days of summer—usually late August—she would call me early one morning on her way to work and say,

“Fall is around the corner.”

And every year I would tell her, “It is still 95 degrees outside and 98% humidity. Nobody can feel fall in there.”

But she swore she could.

She could feel the very first, ever-so-slight breeze in the air that was just a different temperature.

And so it became a joke between us. A yearly joke.

Thirty-plus years later, though, it has become something much more sentimental.

She and I were just talking about it the other day, because somewhere along the way, I started sharing it with my own family. Now when I feel that first little breeze, I tell my husband and my children the same thing:

Fall is around the corner.

Which brings me to yesterday.

I woke up, got ready for work and walked outside—and there it was.

There was a crisp breeze in the air. The temperature felt lighter and cooler. It wasn’t cold by any stretch of the imagination, but something had changed.

I could feel it.

And last night, we sat on our patio with our propane heater on for the first time this season. I started thinking about the weekend ahead. There will probably be football games and tailgate food, time outside and, hopefully, more of that beautiful cool air.

But the older I get, the more I realize that I love the change of seasons for reasons that have very little to do with the temperature.

There is something about it that reminds me of the fulfillment of God’s Word—that seasons change.

There is a season for everything.

And after a long, hot Southern summer, I am always thankful for the relief that fall brings.

Soon the leaves will begin to change, and the Master Painter will paint a canvas for us that no artist could ever quite duplicate. There will be beautiful sunrises and sunsets, brilliant leaves and those crisp mornings that make you want to stand outside just a little longer before starting your day.

But maybe what I’m most thankful for is the reminder.

No season lasts forever.

Life has seasons, too.

There are seasons that are beautiful and easy to appreciate while we’re living them. And there are others that can feel long, heavy and hot—seasons when we find ourselves waiting for even the slightest breeze to tell us that something is changing.

And then one day, sometimes when we aren’t even looking for it, we feel it.

A breath of fresh air.

A little relief.

A reminder that a new season is coming.

I think all of us need that sometimes.

So this year, as fall begins to make its way into the South, I’m entering a season of thankfulness.

I’m thankful for family. I’m thankful for a friendship that has lasted more than 30 years. I’m thankful for traditions that start as silly little jokes and somehow become part of the stories we pass along to our children.

I’m thankful for beautiful sunsets, football weekends, cool evenings on the patio and the promise that comes with a change in the air.

And I’m thankful for the reminder that whatever season we may find ourselves in today, seasons change.

So, my dear friend, after all these years…

I felt it too.

Fall is around the corner.

 

Lori- Belle&Birch