I remember the first time I heard the word autumnal. It was not that many years ago when my best friend said this word describing the changing of the season. Why had I never heard that word before? I wondered. It stuck, and has become one of my favorite words. Funny how it also happens to be my favorite season, too. Today Mother Nature is giving us peek into autumn with a slight chill in the air, but the summer sun still warm. Some of the leaves have already begun to change also because of our very hot and dry summer. Nothing too drastic, but just like putting new streaks of color in your hair, shades of gold, amber and fire orange are making their subtle appearance among the green leaves.
This is also the time of the year where summer still overlaps as fall makes it slow approach. These are perfect nights for our cheminia which is really starting to get a work out. A few hours gazing into the burning embers transports us to a cozy place in our hearts. Often times we just sit in the silence of our own thoughts, John and I, but yet united in what matters to us in this life we’ve created together. Though you can’t see Kylie in the photo, she is always nearby, the four footed love of both our hearts. She makes our life complete… steadfast in her continual lesson to slow down, take it all in, breathe, appreciate the simple things, just by being herself. I never get tired of the awe of what I see in what dogs teach us.
Fall reminds me of how small we truly are in this very big world. But how big my life is because I choose to live from my own heart strings. Fall reminds me of my many blessings. Fall also squeezes a bit at my heart as I move through the first one without Frankie. But as my first summer without her begins to fade, I realize how very right she was in knowing I was going to be just fine as she moved into her eternal rest. Fall now wraps itself around me like a warm blanket, but also a reassurance that we are never alone— that our loved ones remain forever burrowed deep in our hearts.