I believe I have figured out why Autumn was nicknamed "Fall." It must be due to someone visiting the New England area once upon a time in October and "falling in love" with the beauty that surrounds them. I've admitted before that I still feel like a Washingtonian, and I miss it and miss it, and miss my extended family, and then Autumn comes and I fall in love with the beauty surrounding me and feel incredibly lucky to live here in Connect-i-cut.
But it's not just Autumn that I fall in love with. I also LOVE cold, snowy winters. I love huddling beneath a blanket with a hot cup of cocoa steaming in my hands as I look out at a snowy morning. I love seeing my kids romp in the snow just as much as I love seeing them romp in the leaves.
I admit that September was a struggle in our house. There are always glimpses of joy in there, but the transition to school wasn't ideal. We're still on that journey, but things are getting better. My heart aches for Lily all morning, and when she comes home we are both at odds. She has been worked to her maximum, and we still have a huge packet of homework, plus reading to get through, and all of a sudden she bursts into tears crying. I use up all my energy in the morning, taking care of the house and Sawyer, and by the time I pick her up, I'm often exhausted from being preggers. It is a lot for her, and sometimes for me, and there have been a lot of sorries and hugs in our house.
My good friend that I serve with in the youth program at church also lost her 18 year old son this September in a car crash. It threw many of my closest friends here into a raw, emotional time as we struggled to make sense of the tragedy. When this mother and father made the hard decision to donate his organs, we were all on pins and needles waiting to find out when the funeral would happen. The donors were contacted and the operations set up, and 5 lives were changed through the donation of life from this young man.
When they announced the day of the funeral, I have never seen such an incredible flurry of activity happen, and with so much love. As a church community we had a day and a half to basically pull off the biggest funeral I have ever seen. I was amazed at the love and kindness that went into that day, and the HUNDREDS of hands that pitched in to make it happen. Flowers were donated, the church was scrubbed from top to bottom, and the youth worked hard to prepare Books of Mormon with their testimonies, as a request from the family. The church was filled to capacity, overflowing into the gym, and dear friends of this young man who were at college were able to view the funeral on a live feed.
It was a blessing to see all that happened behind the scenes, and I can't blame my tears on the pregnancy, only the complete kindness and goodness of a community who was all suffering alongside this family. At one point my friend called me from the hospital, and asked me for a favor. She wanted the entire family to wear his soccer jerseys and numbers, but didn't know where to go and how to obtain them. I made some calls and found the director of the soccer league. Within two days he delivered to me not just the 3 jerseys I had requested, but an additional 4. He had taken time out of work to make this happen, and refused to take payment. Another of many examples is the time I went to pick up the photos for the funeral, and the owner of the photo shop refused to let me pay for half of the prints, after doing a rush printing.
There are many more examples. This tragedy was a strong reminder to me that there are MANY many good people in this world. We were briefly connected in our quest to ease this family's suffering and it was a privilege to see how much people could give.
This past weekend I really need a good, positive kick off to October surrounded with two little people I love. We needed to reconnect, and I needed to just enjoy the fact that I am so blessed with my own children. Which meant it was time to hit my favorite place! The farm! It was so wonderful, we went back twice that weekend, and I remembered my camera the second time around. We fed the cows, picked out pumpkins, poked the chickens, pet the pups, and made new friends. It was perfect, the weather amazing, and my spirits were lifted. Follow that by meeting up with friends for s'mores and life just can't get better!
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| "We're going to feed the cows too?" |
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| Sawyer was SO excited to feed the cows. They came right up to the wagon where he grabbed chunks of hay he was sitting on and hand fed them, squealing in delight each time they pulled it out of his hand. |
I'm a lucky mama, and I'm grateful to have 2.5 children in my life. And I'm also feeling pretty lucky to be surrounded by the beauty of New England right now!
