“in the tenth month”

2 Kings 25:1

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October is a beautiful, colorful month.  It’s the first full-fledged month of Autumn, and generally our first real taste of it in Southern California.  True, we generally have a week or so of extremely hot temps in late October or early November, but we also get some wind and maybe even some rain.  My kids and I just love to get out the other “half” of our wardrobes and start snuggling into sweaters and under blankets!

October was an exciting month for me, as I started on a new adventure in my life.  I spent four days in Colorado Springs, training for a writing project that means so much to me.  I made new friends, and took on new challenges, and am so thankful to God for this opportunity.  I pray I do it well! 

October was also the end of the baseball season.  Baseball is my favorite sport, and while I’ll watch any two teams playing, I was less than thrilled that the San Francisco Giants won the World Series.  Of course, it’s nothing personal.  I just bleed Dodger blue, that’s all.   And my boy got to attend not one, but two of the playoff games ~ one of the Anaheim Angels, and one of the Dodgers.  (The Apple of my Eye went with him to one, and my mom went with him to the other.)  Such an opportunity and I hope he remembers the fun of it for a long time!

October also means hockey in full swing.  While I’ve been a fan ever since I met my husband in high school, I’m getting to see my son play for the first time over the past few months.  He’s learning more every day, which is so much fun to watch.  He has scored a few goals, including two game-winning goals, and even a hat trick!  Maybe the only thing more fun than watching him play is watching his father watch him play. 

Well, no, watching him play is better, but watching my husband is a close second!

 

October is our annual trip to “Apple Country” in the local mountains.  We come home with several varieties of apples, including some that we’ve picked ourselves, along with freshly-pressed cider and homemade doughnuts.  We window shop for antiques and eat sandwiches in the back of the car ~ along with freshly picked apples, of course, and sharp cheddar cheese.  We visit horses and a myriad of other creatures and admire enormous pumpkins and the view in every direction.

October was also a local conference for the Bible Study with which I’m involved, Community Bible Study.  It was a chance to hear inspiring and challenging speakers, and to see old friends.   And current friends.   And new friends…  It was also a chance to sing worship music with 700 people, and man, that’s a glorious sound!

October was also a visit from my sister and her husband, and attending our high school’s homecoming game with them.  We lost, thank you for asking.  But it was fun to share with our kids, and to reminisce and try to remember the words to our Alma Mater.  It was fun to see friends we haven’t seen in mumblesomething years, including the first friend I ever made in California.  She made such an impression on me, going out of her way to welcome the “new girl”.  What a joy to still have her in my life!

October was another Halloween with my kids, and watching them enjoy the fun of dressing up, perfecting their costumes, imaginations running amok.  So wonderful.  Kids being kids.  Even when ~ or especially when ~ those kids are fast growing up!

I love October.   It’s pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes, and leaves in a variety of colors.  It’s falling leaves on blustery days that make me think of Winnie the Pooh, and a little extra time sitting in my porch swing enjoying the cool air.  It’s hot tea in the morning and maybe hot chocolate in the evening.  It’s cloudy mornings and dusky evenings.  It’s pumpkin-flavored everything at the grocery store, and my once-a-year chance to eat candy corns.  October is oranges and reds and golds and browns and delighting in cozy warmth. 

October is blessings.

 

~ “The grass withers,

   and the flower falls away,

   But the word of the Lord endures forever.” ~

1 Peter 1:24

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