Happy Fall Friends!
October is the month where I really start to feel that Fall is here. There’s a briskness to the morning air. The leaves on trees start to take on a sponge painted colorful texture that makes me stop and stare. And yes, there are pumpkins and pumpkin everything everywhere!
Since I grew up in southern California, I never really appreciated the autumn months until I moved to the midwest and East coast. I can’t imagine my life without the fall now…it’s by far my most favorite season.
And speaking of seasons, I’m finding myself recognizing that there are a lot of “last” seasons happening in my life right now.
Many of you watched me “grow up” on television. And as part of that, you remember when I became pregnant with my son, Trevor. Well, that baby is now an 18 year old grown young man who will be graduating from high school in just a few months.
So that means this is the last fall where he’ll be home every day after school. And this will be the last Halloween where he’ll help decorate the front of the house. And the last season to go to Eagles football games with his Dad. And the list goes on.
I’ve always wanted my kids to spread their wings. I’m lucky that I had parents who rarely stunted my independent spirit. And not once did they push back on any of the colleges that I applied to or wanted to attend.
That’s been my mindset with both Kylie and Trevor. Let them go. They can always come home. Kylie went away to Missouri for college and lived at home for the past year once she graduated to save some money. She recently moved into her own apartment and is loving it! That makes me so happy.
But there’s something about your last child going away. It makes you realize your entire family dynamic is about to have a seismic shift.
Doug and I talk a lot about what we’ll do when Trevor heads to college. I’m sure we’ll make plenty of visits to wherever Trev decides to attend. And I hope we’ll start taking some of those “dream” trips we’ve always talked about.
It’s a weird concept to us…we’ve never only been just us. Since Doug was already a Dad when we met, our relationship has always revolved around our kids. I guess it’s going to take raising 2 kids and 23 years for us to start doing things as a couple!
I don’t fear change. My mindset is usually one of “let’s go with the flow and see what happens.” I just hope I’m not overwhelmed by all of the changes hitting all at once.
Which brings me back to Fall. For most of my childhood, I grew up without any real concept of the seasons, never knowing what I was missing. It wasn’t until I was able to experience the change in seasons that my eyes were opened to something so rich and beautiful.
I’ll try to remember that next Fall. While this may be a season of “lasts” before Trevor heads to school next year, I know we have a season of “firsts” to embrace once he’s spread his wings.
Wishing you all a beautiful fall season with plenty of firsts and lasts to remember.
From my home to yours,
Jill
