It's Fall!

   This is my favorite time of the year. Time for hoodies, bonfires, soccer games, picking pumpkins and apples...oh! I just love it. This season provides an ever changing canvas for the brilliant colors of changing leaves and the rich hues of a peaceful evening sunset.


   Dave and I got married on a perfect autumn day 18 years ago. I am so thankful for this man I have been blessed with. I can't imagine my life without him. He is an encouragement, a protector, a wonderful father, and a faithful man of God.
  
 Our marriage, like most, has had changing seasons. I have so far enjoyed every one. Don't get me wrong, it takes work, and there are difficulties that come with each season. We went from young newlyweds to young new parents quicker than we had planned.( I'm the type who makes a plan, writes it out, and then realizes God's timing and mine most often don't match up, lol)... What fun to learn parenting together! Dave is the kind of dad I hoped to have for my children-fun, firm and full of faith!


   Having our babies was kind of like spring time. Lots of nurturing, growing, and trying to weed out distractions that could stunt the growth of our marriage and family. As the kids grew older, it was like summer time-bright sunny moments, keeping in mind to protect from burn out. It's been time in the sunshine exercising and building a strong framework for our kids to take root and grow. (Kind of like training a plant to grow on a trellis- finding their own path, but in the safety of a protected garden.)


   Now, having two teens and one "tweener", I feel like the long summer is fading into the next season...Fall. This season seems to bring a whole different kind of fun...lots of warm "by the fire" moments, and many quick, breezy days that I would love to slow down. The colors are changing as I see my kids gain independence and, like leaves in the wind, float independently through the cool crisp air. I find myself smiling as I see the familiar framework we worked so hard to build for them in the spring still visible under the stunning growth of their own personalities and character.
  
   I am loving this season of seeing our boys change into the young men God will have them to be. I am so blessed to be the mother of three fantastic sons and wife of one amazing man. I feel thankful to live in a beautiful part of the country that has changing seasons, and to live on a farm where time seems to move just a little slower.


Happy Fall Y'all!