and so it begins

October is my favorite month of the year. I feel more alive this month than any other. I love the crispness of October. The intense turquoise of the sky, the crackling of the jewel-colored leaves, the sigh of the wind; it has just the right balance of color and energy. October just speaks to my soul.

While others may see this month as the "beginning of the end" of the year, I see it as a time of verification and renewal. October is a time to see the beauty in what has been (and certainly what is still!). It begs me to appreciate what it has to offer as colder, less glorious days are on the horizon. I feel compelled to stock up on these wonderful days so that I may later savor them in the depths of the winter.

In October, I can feel Mother Nature sloughing off her skin, preparing for her rebirth in the spring. All the old leaves fall to the ground, waiting to shelter the new saplings and baby flowers that will begin to sprout at the end of winter.

October reminds me what life is all about. Appreciation for the good and beautiful things, knowledge that there are cold and barren days ahead, and faith that one day the winter will end.