My Least Favorite Day of the Year - October 19, 2011

Fall is a beautiful season in the midwest.   Leaves change to beautiful colors.  The air is fresh and crisp. The sky seems to have an autumn shade of blueness unlike the other seasons. (Actually and scientifically it does....  help me out Curt and remind me what it is that makes the color different!)

So why is my least favorite day of the year in October?

Well, fortunately this year it is in October, which softens the blow a bit.  And it is even past the middle of the month,  denoting a mild fall.  Sometimes, however, it is in September and that is harder to take.   I am referring to the last day we can risk leaving the plants outdoors before they take a frost.

I like the 12 foot, 8 foot and 6 foot tall ficus trees much better when they are outside.  I also love the 6 foot hibiscus much more when it is living on the patio.

My “least favorite day of the year” is when all these magnificent horticultural marvels must come into the family room.  Silly I know,  maybe my dread of this day is more tied to the changing of the seasons because soon after the first freeze comes ice and snow.

We do joke about the harshness of winters; we do complain a bit about where we are headed.  Yet the truth of the matter is we need the change of seasons.  We will survive.  There is extreme beauty in what lies ahead.  Nothing is perfect.  But today, Jen cast a different perspective on my grumbling.  “Be joyful! You are one day closer to spring!”

Oh my word, yes, how true.  Not matter how much I dread this day.....  it does take me one day closer to spring!

The quotation, “spring always follows the winter” is a powerful reminder to me of faithfulness and the certainty of God’s loving presence.  Spring does always follow the winter.  Good does follow struggle.  Nothing worthwhile or worthy in this earthly life comes without effort, sacrifice, and some good hard work. 
(Dose #5)

And the truth lies in Jen’s perspective as well.    In this time capsule we are living in, in this time of adaptation, in this time of acceptance, we are one day closer to a more comfortable time!  We are one day closer to the warmth of spring.