Fall ... Sweetness of Seasons

Is it just me, or did the leaves on my street get a lot more colorful today!?!?!

There's something very comforting in the change of the seasons. So dependable. So much bigger than my calendar. The air always smells new. The colors are always familiar when they return. It's like the visit of an old friend. When the season turns, I am reminded:

• - of the consistency of the the cycles of the year
• - about how faithful God is to unfold the times
• - of the blessing of living and having days to love and live and learn
• - that God is sovereign
• - man can not stop God's bigger creation & plan
• - there's always something new ahead, and that's encouraging
• - when one season of life is hard, it's preparation for the next one
• - every season has its glory and its splendor
• - no one or thing can stop the passage of time

The arrival of fall is such an exhilarating time of year! The crisp, fresh air lures us outside to play in autumn sun under azure blue skies. It does something miraculous to my spirit .... that usually results in the four of us stacking ourselves side by side in sleeping bags to shiver and laugh and eat smoky food beside a crackling campfire. I will need to remember the glories of autumn this time next week, when I am dressed in wool and fleece, zipped up in my mummy bag. :)

A little decorating goes a long way to celebrating the Creative Hand that turns the seasons. I want my children to feel the rhythm of the world's seasons, and my seasonal celebrations go a long way to nurture that through decor and (of course) food! The front door is a great place to start; look for pumpkins on sale, or find favorites at a pumpkin patch ... you are never too old for this! I like to use artificial flowers for the front door, because I can re-use them year to year (even Indian corn can be used for years) and they are "forgotcha proof."

Inside the house I pull out place mats with rich colors (purple/orange/brown) to layer under pottery and wood containers, filling them with bittersweet or natural twigs. In my kitchen, I filled a creamy yellow cookie jar with handfuls of colored leaves = an arrangement! Use what you have and fill with God's creative bounty.

On the mantle minor changes in color can make all the difference in bringing the new season "in." Start with a deeper color candlestick (I changed out buttery yellow for cranberry, on sale at Hobby Lobby), then add richly toned flowers or twigs. I like to tuck a few artificial or natural colored leaves in between picture frames. I have a black clock I pull out for colder months when dusk comes earlier and a fire fills the hearth; the clock replaced a large conch shell that adorned the mantle for summer. Finally, simply choosing 3 or 4 darkly bound books make a great platform for mantle or shelf items, replacing the white and cream copies that lifted up family frames in warmer months (not shown here, so don't keep searching :) ) . Pick out a gourd or two or five :) to be the sentry. Like a carefully set table, these rich colors and natural elements help create a statement that reminds all who gather there of the sweetness of each season.

Psalm 104:19 "He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down."

Daniel 2:21a "He changes the times and the seasons."

When a new season comes, followers of Jesus have a lot to celebrate! The leaves and the pumpkins and the apples and the squash and the hay bales and the autumn skies remind me that my Maker is sovereign and powerful. This is a great time of year to bring a little seasonal sweetness of fall INSIDE your bedroom or living room or kitchen, your office or church foyer or desk, and display a little glory of the Lord wherever you are.

To help you glory in our Maker's creative hand, I want to share some of my fall fav's for the next few days, leading up to ..... my famous fall fried chicken next Tuesday! It is an "original, never before published, get rave reviews over it, and you won't believe what I serve with it" kind of recipe. :) But consider it my fall gift to YOU! As for sharing my favorite apple pie recipe, I'll have to pray about that. :)

Now go to your front door. Open the door. Take a deep breath. What did you smell? Fall!!!! What have you done so far to celebrate?