The Joy Of November

I love November. I like the fall in general but in my mind there is really something special about November that far surpasses all the other months combined. The end of September the fall officially begins but with it comes the beginning of the school year and all the madness it entails. October is usually pretty good with all the leaves changing color and the change in temperatures, but really there is something just completely special about November, that when it comes, brings a sigh to my mind and rejoicing in my heart.

November is a special month. Most of the leaves are gone off the trees and the days are generally much cooler, but it's almost as if nature pauses for just a few weeks and allows us to relax a bit.The squirrels are busy gathering the fallen acorns and the birds and chipmunks are hanging out at the feeders, there is the smell of wood smoke in the air and you can hear the leaves rustle in the trees as the deer move through the woods, and all the leaves have that satisfying crunch or swishing sound as you walk on old dirt roads. If you walk by some houses you are likely to smell the Cinnamon smell of apple pies and pumpkin as people prepare to have families come for Thanksgiving. Perhaps that is the greatest joy of them all for this month. This is the time of year that we really start to appreciate just what we have in life and the ways that G-D has blessed us. This is the time of year when we think of family and friends and we make plans to celebrate this great bounty together. This is also the time of year when we start to think of others who are less fortunate then ourselves and small ways that we might be able to help someone, who has nothing, at least enjoy blessings for one day.

I suppose it can be argued that every time of year has it's own beauty but for me there is nothing quite like the middle part of the fall. Perhaps it's because in some ways I have approached that time of my life and despite everything I kind of like it. The winter of old age is still a ways off and the spring and summers of my youth are but pleasant memories, and I have finally reached that place where I prefer that which is simple to complex much like what this time of year offers.
An author, who's name escapes me at the moment, wrote this about fall but I'd like to think he was talking about November." Fall comes in like and old friend, takes off his shoes and stays for awhile, telling stories of places he's been and the things that he has seen." I guess that's how I see fall and November in particular, not as a time to fret over the winter that is to come, but a time to rejoice over the simplicity and beauty of this time of year and of life.

So I hope that as we enter into the Thanksgiving holiday time, that you will take a moment to really appreciate this time of the year and remember all the blessings that G-D has bestowed on you over the last year.
Shalom,
Ignacio