A Perfect November!

I don't know what the rest of the month has in store, and rain is predicted this week, but so far, this has been a perfect November. Never have I seen such beautiful colors in Nashville -- and they have lasted so long!

When I was a child of 5, my father was stationed for a year at Fort Dix, New Jersey. I remember some things about it vividly. We had recently returned stateside from India. The first months passed without leaving much impression; then suddenly, it was FALL! Never had I seen such beautiful colors as on the hillside behind our house. I remember collecting maple leaves and being entranced by their bright colors, and by the smell of the autumn leaves. Those days were full of delight for me, enjoying the vivid colors, and spending as much time outside in the woods as possible.

That's what this fall has been like for me. It was like Autumn took a wrong turn and brought a New England fall to Nashville by mistake. The colors were so vibrant they practically glowed, and the weather was so pleasantly inviting, it has been almost impossible to remain indoors. I have been to Edwin Warner Park many times the past couple of weeks, gawking at the colorful trees in their splendid foliage, and I used up two rolls of film trying to capture it all (yes, some of us still prefer photographs). The photos don't lie - they are the most colorful fall photos I have ever shot.

Driving anywhere has been an almost intoxicating experience as I have struggled to keep my eyes on the road and not on each shrub, tree, and hedge, not to mention the brilliant blue sky.

I don't know what made this November so spectacular. We have had less rain than usual, but apparently, we had it at all the right times. And although it has already rained a couple of times this November, most of the leaves remained on the trees and if anything, became more beautiful!

I know next fall I will be hopeful that we will once again have such a colorful autumn, but realistically speaking, I doubt it happens. Such a profusion of bright colors is not the norm here in Nashville.

Whatever future falls may bring, this one has pierced my heart with its beauty, and there it will remain, full of bright memories, a reminder of God's unsurpassed artistry.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. " Ps 19:1

Read my poem "November Nostalgia."

Look for the accompanying Fall Slideshow!