But I like it here…… October 22, 2017

So my last two blogs have been about death, so let’s talk about life.

I love autumn in Pennsylvania. It truly is beautiful. Actually, from Sept. 1 through Jan. 1, to me, is the best time of the year.

You heard the saying, “different strokes for different folks”? Some people like the beaches. Some people like the hot weather. Some like mountains. Me? I like the changing of the seasons, with Autumn being my favorite. I love everything about it. Especially here.

I love the smell of Autumn. When leaves fall and the wind blows. The sound of leaves crunching under your feet. When the colors remind us that paintings and pictures are good, even with filters, but only God can make colors so stunningly beautiful with a rainbow of colors that man can’t match. I noticed this summer when walking with Bonnie how there were so many shades of green. But Autumn is magnificent.

Now I enjoy winter. The cold is refreshing, and my thoughts are, “you can always add clothing”. The beauty of the snow. How it sits on the branches. OK, driving in it is a bit much at times, but that’s not the norm.

I love the cold on my face, then sitting near a fire for warmth. I love the sound of crunching snow when I walk. I love the taste of hot chocolate. I love the sounds of silence when one goes outside. It is never depressing to me, it’s enlightening. It causes me to realize that seasons pass, just like in our lives, and that even when it is harsh, like life, you can still find beauty in it.

The first snow, particularly December snows, are the most beautiful to me. It’s like a reminder that God blankets His earth as He pleases. And it’s beautiful. I love the “winter sky”, you know, the gray puffy clouds reminding us of the storehouse of snow they hold.

Spring is always gorgeous. The thawing of the snow, the sprouting up of flowers, buds on the trees (the return of insects, however, is not as beautiful). It’s a reminder of the end of the harshness of winter, and seasons change. As George Harrison said, “All Things Must Pass”.

The excitement of kids that school is ending soon, the excitement of adults that they will not have to shovel snow for a few months, the excitement of sports fans that their favorite baseball team is up from the south, ready to “play ball”.

Of all the seasons, summer is probably my least favorite, although it is beautiful. It’s usually hot and “buggy”. The good thing is the sun is out longer, lightning bugs appear, cookouts begin, and everyone plans vacations. Why people wait until the weather is nice to leave and go somewhere else where the weather is nice is beyond me.

People say I’m crazy for staying in western Pennsylvania, but I like it here. It has everything I need, especially my family.

Home is where your heart is. Mine is here. And while I used to always want to leave this “hick town” and area of the country (I did, TWICE), I always came back.

And here I am.

And here I stay, satisfied, not having to go anywhere.

Because my life is a vacation. And I can go to Buhl Park.