Change...

Here's my recent bonus check(see link for details) ...at least I have one right?

Each year about this time, I play the game of wondering at what point I should bring in the remainder of my garden to protect it from the frost. I bask in the harvest and try to delay the laying of my garden to rest until the last possible moment.
It begins with the shortened days, followed by a distinct familiar crispness in the air. My hunger for fresh tomatoes and salsa subsides (but never leaves) and I begin to crave the comfort of warm soups and a fresh baked loaf of bread. Apples suddenly are the fruit of choice, and the strawberries and raspberries of summer have been laid to rest in the depths of my freezer. I eat one more bite of watermelon knowing it will be sometime before I truly appreciate it's refreshing cool on a summer's day...on and on it goes, each piece in exchange for another.
I often think of my life in the same way, a season of experience/change that will be followed by another. Each one with a distinct flavor and familiarity, that when gone, will leave me with a sense of longing and fondness. They may hold a distinct touch of sadness, excitement, joy or pain, that when laid to rest will linger in my being for the rest of my life.
I enjoy change, I enjoy the blank canvas that gets placed before me, ready for that first brushstroke. I often fear the uncertainty of the stroke, but generally marvel at the completed picture.
A wise woman once told me (Merilee George) that her grandmother told her to embrace every season of life because when it is gone we are unable to get it back. This I too believe, and hope to embrace. Because much like the change in the season, I believe we can feel the change in the air and we can prepare ourselves for the season that is just around the corner. Let us soak in its warm and bundle up for the cold. Whatever the season, let us greet it with a open heart and a willing hand. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.