Someone once said, and no one has been given credit for this statement, “A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.”  

I, for one, am always happy to see summer wave goodbye. If it wasn’t for baseball, I would find summer to be almost unbearable. I know most people love summer, especially those with boats and lake homes, but the water isn’t a big attraction for me.  

On Wednesday the autumn season officially began. Thank goodness. Without a doubt autumn is my most anticipated time of the year. As I grow older it seems to be even more a season, I look forward to each year though I really can’t explain why that is the case.  

Summer still shows it face from time-to-time in late September and October. But soon the days will be cooler, the nights longer and the trees filled with color. One of my favorite smells is the first woodsy smoke pouring out of a chimney on a fall evening.  

There is something comforting about logs burning brightly in a fireplace on a dark night. Fall is about the leaves changing colors from green to bright orange, yellow, red and brown. The rustle of leaves gives me a sense of calm.  

While I still get the chance to watch baseball almost into November thanks to Major League baseball’s multi-level playoff system there are other sports to watch. College football and the NFL started in the heat of late summer. 

But when October rolls around there is basketball on all levels, but most importantly on my sports schedule the Nashville Predators and the NHL are back in action. I have a coffee mug on my desk which states, “We interrupt EVERYTHING to bring you the hockey season.”  

In addition to sports Halloween and Thanksgiving are part of the celebration fall in very different ways.  

As a child I never enjoyed wearing a mask as part of my Halloween costume, which pretty much describes how I feel about wearing a mask during the never-ending COVID-19 pandemic. But the candy was nice and there was a tradition of ending the evening at the house of long-time family friends for punch and a variety of treats. I like the aura of Halloween which is a perfect fit for the fall.  

Thanksgiving has become the unofficial opening of the Christmas holiday season, but it is much more. It is chance for families to thank God for all of their blessings, something we should do every day. 

It is also a time to overindulge in food, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, enjoy some NFL football while experiencing fellowship with family and friends.  

Yes, fall is my favorite time of the year.  

Appreciate the changing colors of the leaves. Drink some fresh apple cider. Go to a pumpkin patch and pick out what will become a jack-o-lantern. Take a hayride. Kick a pile of leaves. Winter will be here before we know it. The year is quickly coming to and end. Take time to enjoy what is left of the year.