Fall Reflections

A friend was talking about fall and how much she loves it, and I just have to agree. Fall is absolutely, hands down, the BEST season of the year. Apples, crisp air and jackets, colorful leaves, pumpkins, hot chocolate and apple cider, soup and pies...Yummmy and gorgeous.

Fall also happens to be our season of birthdays. From August to October, we have 10 birthdays in our family and near immediate family. My oldest just turned 7, a fact that along with the naturally reflective season of fall, causes me to look back.

My great-aunt was born and died in fall (October), and fall was always when we visited her in the woodsy/artsy house that she and my great-uncle designed and built themselves. When the air grows cooler and the trees start to change, her spirit moves closer to mine.

This fall, however, I've realized that I've allowed my own insecurities to overcome my desire for a change of spirit. One thing that I want more than anything is a spirit of generosity and goodwill, but my progress toward this is being thwarted by a gradual decline into judgment and intolerance. I've always been secure in my position of tolerance for all viewpoints and most personal, non-harmful choices, but lately I've found myself being bitter about the choices others have made. So, I've decided to make a list of affirmations and say them daily, both to affirm my own choices that I believe in, and to develop a generous response to the choices of others.

I truly believe that the only way to make positive changes in this world is to share with the world a strong, generous, and loving spirit.

On a completely different note, we're having my 7 year old's birthday dinner tomorrow night, and we're making a Hogwart's castle cake for the occasion. Since he's started reading the series on his own, he's become even more interested in magic, wizards, dragons, and the like. I earned some points with him (heehee) by finding a black hoodie sweatshirt with silver dragons on the front. Yay! And just to prove that magical, mystical fairy tales and such can peacefully coincide with a belief in G-d, he's also learning the ten commandments on his own. I had a little trouble explaining the one about adultery without making it sound like talking with a person of the opposite gender who isn't one's spouse is bad. Hmmm...