There are many people who claim Fall as their favorite season. Most like it because that is when the leaves turn burnt red, golden yellow, and fire orange. Some like it because they enjoy the cooler weather and a break from the humidity. Others enjoy the fresh apple cider, pumpkin pies, and caramel apples.
As for me, I am a Fall lover for two reasons: 1) it is the season of my birth and 2) my grandmother.
Fall, for me, doesn’t officially start until November 1. That is when the excitement of the season is at its peak in my book. The anticipation of my birthday is always a boost of excitement and gives me all the reason I need to wear my birth stone, the orange topaz. I can spot a fellow November birth-month-er a mile away because only those born in November wear the orange topaz. Just beyond my birthday there is Thanksgiving- my very favorite holiday. I like Thanksgiving because it is a time for family and friends to gather and reflect on all that they are thankful for without the headache of presents and lights and trees and jolly-old-elf’s. Good food and good company; the perfect holiday. My birthday + the perfect holiday = an exciting season!
Then there is my grandmother. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my grandmother. It’s shocking, really, how much I still think about her given that she passed away when I was 9 years old. She was my world, and it still hurts. It has been 22 years since I have heard her beautiful laugh or her comforting voice. It has been 22 years since I have sat on her lap in her gold rocking chair and sang songs with her and felt her arms around me. It has been 22 years since I lay next to the heater vent on her kitchen floor in the early morning hours watching her cook breakfast.
My grandmother was also born in November. She was the last of 16 children and lost her own mother to cancer when my grandmother was only 3 years old. My grandmother had five children, of which, my father is the youngest.
My grandmother had brown eyes, like mine. This is significant because all her sisters had blue eyes and her mother knew she was supposed to have a brown eyed baby girl. My parents have hazel and blue eyes, so my eyes come from her.
Recently, my mom suprised me when she sent me my grandmother’s sugar bowl. This bowl sat in the middle of my grandmother's kitchen table every single day for as long as I can remember. I scooped sugar out of it on a regular basis. It now sits in my china cabinet. To an outside observer, it is a fairly average looking bowl. But to me, it is my childhood.
My love for baking cookies comes from my grandmother. She was a diabetic that made the most delicious desserts imaginable. We were always making cookies together. A few years ago my mom sent me a recipe card in my grandmother’s handwriting with a cookie recipe on it that was named after me. I made them and as soon as I tasted them I was taken back to her kitchen with the orange/green carpet and white countertops. Making cookies with my own children brings a little piece of my grandmother into their lives.
My grandmother was a wonderful woman. Though she is no longer physically present, I know that she has been with me through all the ups and all the downs of my life. Her memory is what Fall is all about to me: a celebration of life; a time of gathering with family; good food; and a time to be thankful for all the blessings we are given, even if we can only have them in our lives for nine short years.
Their smiles are priceless.
Maggie patiently waiting to hold the baby.
Buzz watching Bernard being lifted out of her hospital crib. Such a sweet big brother.
Yup, she's smitten with her.
When did Dorothy get so big?! Note little Maggie standing close by in ALL the pictures.
Tiny toes.
Bob showing them more of their little sister.
Pretty content little girl.
Dark hair... for now.
Sitting upright and ready to go home. Hooray!
Love my kids!
Showing off booties from Aunt Katie.
Sponge baths are not her favorite. But her pout is so stinking cute!
Peacefully sleeping in her crib. First baby to ever sleep in the crib this early.
