season of a thankful heart

Maybe it is the crispness of the autumn air that creeps through my drafty windows. Or maybe the hot tea in a sturdy mug. I certainly can't overlook the sweet blond head that plays on the floor near by.The huge box of apples given by a generous neighbor are lovely and destined for pie and pancakes and apple butter. October is my very favorite month, something about the blue-blue skies, the insistent fall breezes, and the golden pallette of the prairie invigorates me and makes me so thankful. I love deeper, sleep harder, wake earlier, and feel more aware in the fall. I remember as a child swinging in our backyard, trying to touch the dark blue of the sky with my tip-toes. My brothers and I played outside making forts from firewood and I even convinced them to taste the not quite ripe yet persimmons. Russ and I fell more in love the autumn he returned from basic training. Thoughts swirl through my mind like leaves falling to the ground. Perhaps it is the puritan roots that make me so grateful to have made it through a hot and dusty summer, perhaps it is my childish fancies of wood sprites and fairies who play in the tall purple grasses. I only know that today is a beautiful day and I am so very thankful for all the simple joys of an October morning.