Leaves and Snowflakes

The air is brisk, the leaves are changing color, and the smell of leaves and pumpkin spice fill the air.  Autumn is here.  Though I love summer and all the warm weather it brings, there is something undeniably wonderful about fall and the upcoming winter magic to come.  To me, fall is a time of such beauty and coziness.  The world becomes a rainbow of colorful leaves, the air is a bit more brisk so you have to wear more cozy layers and cuddle closer to those you love, and the smell of the air is intoxicating.  The air smells of the lovely aroma of leaves, pumpkin spice, apple cider.  Something very awe-inspiring about fall is that even though it is a time of impending death for many plants and all the leaves of the trees, it is yet so incredibly beautiful.  It’s a lesson to us that even death can be beautiful.  It’s all a part of the miracle of life.  It may be the end of this life, but it’s the beginning of another.  When the winter comes, the leaves are gone and the world is so silent and seemingly dead, but spring always comes without fail, bringing color and life to the world once again. 

Even though I dislike how cold winter can be and get disheartened by all of the snow after a while, winter still holds a special place in my heart.  Winter is another cozy time, and it brings the wonderful holiday of Christmas.  Christmas is my very favorite day of the year.  It’s a time of family, food, coziness, and magic (all of my favorite things)!  Even as a kid, Christmas has never really been about the presents.  It’s always been about the excitement and magic of being together as a family and taking part in fun traditions together.  Christmas brings such joy to many people’s hearts, and that makes my heart warm and unbelievably happy.  This magic is such a blessing.  The whole world we live in is such a blessing. 

Sometimes we forget to take a moment to truly appreciate how blessed we are, so the holidays of fall and winter (Thanksgiving and Christmas) remind us of our blessings and restore the magic feeling of awe that we felt as children.  As the leaves begin to fall and the snow begins to drift upon the ground, take a moment to watch this miracle of life.  These events may happen every year, but every year is unique.  And there is always something new and astounding to discover on this beautiful planet we call home.