Fall is home

Today, I went on a search for blogs with a similar topic as this one. It made my day to read about all the little things in other people's lives.

A quote about fall from Enjoying the Small Things really caught my attention.

"I don't know exactly what it is about fall. I mean, summer's so live-it-up with its bathing suits and lemonade stands and late night barbecues, spring is renewing, winter has the whole Christmas thing going for it, but fall...fall is home."

Fall is home. Is that just lovely? The statement is so true for me.

"It isn't leaves and temperature drops and cold rosy cheeks at a football game that make fall what it is. It is the grounding rituals of tradition, the return to the foundation of what matters most...our home, our family, our stories"

As it becomes more and more apparent that fall is here -- with the changing of colors and the falling of leaves -- I realize more and more how much I miss my family. It's been awhile since I've spent time with my family. I was home for a few hours about a month ago and my mom was here for a few hours a couple weeks ago. But with my busy schedule, I haven't had the time to go home for a proper visit.

Instead, I asked my parents to come here for the weekend. I am running my first 10k this Saturday and my mom has always been very supportive of my running, so I knew she'd be excited about the idea.  It is also my grandma's birthday week -- she turned 84 yesterday -- so my parents and I will be able to take her out for dinner. Plus, my parents need a break from everything to just enjoy life. 

"When my siblings and I get together, it isn't long before we're recalling childhood memories...And I think about that a lot. What will my kids remember?"

 I'll always remember raking up the leaves and jumping in them with my brother and sister when we were kids. I'll remember carving pumpkins with my nephew and watching him stir the seeds as if he was making soup. I'll remember baking pie after pie after pie with my mom one afternoon for a church pie sale. And I'll remember running the 10k this weekend, knowing my mom and dad were there to support me.
 
So maybe I can't go home this weekend and bring my niece and nephew to the pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect pumpkin to bring home and carve or bake tons of pies with my mom for church. I can still spend time with my family, and I'm very thankful for that.

"It's called making lemonade. And I dig that."

Check out Kelle Hampton's blog for beautiful photographs and beautiful stories.

I'll continue to search for blogs that relate to this one and post about them as I find ones that inspire me.