Letter 39

Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good,
and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons,
filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:17

Dear Lincoln and Shea,
There is something special about fall that makes it so easy to fall in love with. It's weird how I can love leaves only when they are dying and falling to the ground or appreciate crisp breezes when they are accompanied by the smell of pumpkin patches, left over corn in the mazes and hot apple cider. Of course, it could be the smell of Halloween candy and the reintroduction of pumpkin spice lattés (or anything pumpkin.... donuts, pancakes, muffins, pies, shakes....mmmm) that really woo me. Either way, this season brings a sense of welcome nostalgia for all the fall activities my parents had for me in autumns past.
Even though California didn't really have all four seasons, we still managed to have annual pumpkin carvings, bobbing for apple nights, and leaf piles to welcome the colder temperatures.
A lot has changed in the last 20 years, but I'm glad that tossing leaves into the air and filling little bellies with candy corn (and, gasp! pumpkin peeps! Why didn't peeps know they should have been year round favorites when I was little? I had to wait for those cadbury commercials to air before I dared dream the stores had stocked up on my favorite marshmallow treat) is still tradition. It's still the time of year where we pull out our cozy sweatshirts and fuzzy boots and spend time crunching leaves beneath our feet instead of time. We wait in anticipation for the Macy's day parade to march (literally) down Times Square with the oversized balloons and fancy celebrity guest with sparkly mics. OKAY, maybe you two don't have that anticipation yet, but I will teach it to you as we build the tradition of watching the said event together. Even as I write this, I can hear a highschool football game going on just down the street; another reason for fall fever, football. Of course, the best part about fall is spending it with the ones you love and acknowledging God as the author behind such beauty.

Hoping to install a love for fall,
I love you