Something I wrote for our church's newsletter

WHY I LOVE FALL
By Catherine Valentine

As the leaves come floating down from the trees and the wind has a bite to it; the coffee is brewing and the tea is hot, tell me, what’s not to love about Fall? The change of season is beautiful to behold, for here, it is the rhythm of life, a song the Creator composed just for His creation. The bushes and trees take one last brilliant bow as gold, red, and orange fill the woods and I ask again, what’s not to love about Fall? As a lover of nature, I have always looked forward to the change of season and I am especially fond of Fall, but the reason for this is not what you may think. As brilliant as God created this season it is not my love for nature that makes me look forward to this time of year, but what the change of season promises, a promise of a season of Thanksgiving and good cheer all around.

In this season of Fall comes a celebration of a bountiful harvest of food, family, and friends. Throughout the year there have been family struggles and friends in need, tears have been shed and feelings hurt, but as we gather together around the Thanksgiving table we delight in our good fortune of having friends to lean on and family standing by our side. This time of year reminds us to look around and remember why each person is in our lives and why they are at our table. How fortunate we are to have a table over flowing with food and not enough chairs for family and friends, not many are as blessed. This is the reason why I love Fall, because I am so privileged to sit at a table which is surrounded by loved ones and to partake in the richness we have as we delight in this change of season.