As Summer becomes October's cold... (--The Afters)

Isn't it funny how a season of the year can be so inspiring? I have to say, of all the four seasons, Fall is the most inspiring for me. It seems like the leaves change a little bit more every time I step out the door, transforming the world of green into a world of orange, red, and yellow. It makes me feel all cozy and warm inside and I have to smile to myself and suppress a little giggle. (I've been told I giggle a lot, from more than one person....) Maybe it's because of all the pretty colors or the sound the leaves make beneath my feet, but I'm pretty sure the bulk of it is because I realize that Christmas in only two months away. Yes, I am a Christmas junkie. I wear my title proudly. :)

I think that one of the greatest things about Christmas isn't Christmas morning when you wake up and see the stockings hanging on the TV stand, or even Christmas day around noon when all the food is set out on the table, enough to feed a crowd. I think one of the greatest things about Christmas is the wait, the anticipation, the wonder of it all, the curiosity of what might be under the tree on the 25th of December. I think all the preparations for the Big Day is what makes Christmas so special. For about a month out of the year Christmas music is played in the malls, candy canes are seen everywhere, you go to the store and think about that special someone on your list you still need to get a gift for, and everyone seems rushed and panicked but altogether Jolly. Everyone gets to remember what it was like to be a kid and act giddy and watch child movies once again about the Grinch or Rudolph or Narnia. It's simply beautiful, so sentimental.

So it reminds me of an old C.S. Lewis quote, "The best havings are wantings."

And I have to say, I whole-heartedly agree.

Sometimes the best parts of life are the times when we're waiting for something awesome to happen, such as a vacation to the beach or getting to see that old friend for the first time in a long time. It's like that feeling you have in the theater during the previews, waiting to see that movie that you've waited to see for a year or two. Maybe that's what hope is, waiting with excitement for something to happen. <3

Romans 5:4-5   "And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."