As I walked out to the studio this morning there was a freshness in the air that comes with the change to cooler temperatures that fall brings. Beneath my feet were yellow and orange heart-shaped leaves from my Bradford Pear. I’m not sure why they are falling this early as the tree is still very green. But they sprinkled my path in delightful patterns and reminded me that fall is actually here. I stopped by the pond, took a deep breath and listened to the singing sounds of the creek.

Fall is known, especially here in the Midwest, as a time of harvest and a time to preserve food for the long winter. I still love hayrides, pumpkin carving, bonfires with music and song while wrapped in warm blankets, and hiking or biking with friends and family.

Fall brings the comfort of longer evenings by the fire with a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate, and curling up with a good book. It brings a sort of balance between day and night so that you seem to have more evening to enjoy. My favorite clothing is what I wear in the fall….sweaters, warm jackets, and scarves the colors of the leaves that protect from the chilly nights. I also love creamy squash soup!

Mostly I love the mystery that is fall. How is it that everything seems to prepare to die, then goes literally underground in hibernation for the winter only to burst forth renewed and new the following spring. And what does that suggest about our own lives?

For most if not all of us life is full of lessons about letting go: letting go of children as they grow up, of parents as they die, of spouses as marriages fail, of youth and passion….. And fall most demonstrates the beauty of letting go.

   Fall: change, preservation, comfort, balance, protection, mystery and letting go. Be present in each moment of this fall and I’m sure you will find each of these for yourself.

   Happy Fall!