This Season of Life

Fall is my favorite season. I love tromping through the leaves, hearing them crunch under my feet, smelling the sharp fall smell, seeing the brilliant fall colors, and hearing the geese fly trough the sky. Fall is the season of sensory overload! It is change, whether I like it or not. What was is no more, so I better get ready for what is to come. Life is like that in every season, but fall seems to shout “Change is coming!” from every tree branch, every migrating bird, every breath of crisp air - and it means it.

Fall is mostly done here in Minnesota. We have a thin layer of snow covering the world, and it has been, well, nippy (or maybe even cold) for a few days now. I’m a little sad, because fall is my favorite season and I mostly missed it. I have been busy with my own season of life and haven’t had time for some of the luxuries I have come to enjoy: state park visits, long fall walks, drives through the scenic foliage, or even raking. There are leaves in my yard that my neighbor blew off my sidewalk with his leaf blower. He gathered them in a snake-like pile a month or so ago (maybe a hint that I should rake), and there they remain. My excuse is that I didn’t expect the snow to “stick” this early, and it is likely that there will be a warm day in the next week or so when I can get my raking done. I hope. Appearances might not be everything, but right now, in this season, they are important. We are preparing to put our house on the market this week.

We have been working toward this goal for quite some time now, and the final push is here. We are spending almost all our free time either working on our house or going to open houses to find the next house. Yesterday we spent the day finishing up lots of odds and ends. We have only one more large task, which is painting the basement. That one overwhelms me when I think about it, which may be why I keep putting it off. It presents some unique challenges. It needs to be done, though, so I will just have to get over myself and do it. Starting is half the battle, right? We plan to have pictures taken on Wednesday and then list by Friday. Change, change, change – it is everywhere!

The living room with the rug we have had for the whole time we lived here.

We removed the rug to reveal our pretty wood floors.

One change I haven’t talked about yet has been a delightful distraction from the continual challenges of preparing to move. Just 11 days ago, we became grandparents! We are smitten with our little Elle (pronounced like the letter L) Ruth. She is a six pound bundle of love and joy, fresh from God and filling my daughter and son-in-law’s life with change. I am ever-so-ready to be done with the preparations for moving so I can focus more of my attention on Miss Elle. Grandma time is precious and I soak it up every second I can. It’s also fun watching our other kids taking on the aunt and uncle roles. They are in love as well.

Grandma and sweet Elle

Grandpa time

New Mom and Dad with their sweet Elle Ruth

The new aunt and uncles

Watching Elle sleep is a treat.

Such a stretch!!

So what do I know about life? I know that today is brief. I know that nothing on earth remains the same. I know that God is at work in change, and He is constant in his love. God’s unchanging nature stands in powerful contrast to a world filled with change. For that, I am eternally grateful!

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” Psalm 102:25-27