Autumn

Autumn. it is one of my favorite times of year. hence why I got married in Fall. I also had my son in the fall. Autumn is a strange beautiful part of the year. everything is dying. the leaves change colour and fall off the trees. the cooler temperatures mark the end of summer. we begin anticipating the long cold winter. it doesn't feel like time for celebrating.
  Yet there is a cool freshness to the air. there is no heaviness in the air. the sun seems strong yet not overpowering. the plants are dying yet there is a new beauty to them. with less outdoor activity there is more time to quilt. draw. socialize inside with friends.

   Autumn is about change. how many of us welcome change? Change is what inspires us. change challenges us. without change life would be the same. we would continue in the same way we have done in the past. we remain comfortable. life is easy. we assume what will happen next.
  We need change. change is stressful. but change is necessary for growth. with change we are forced to make new decisions, we step out of our comfortable areas. change enables us to respond in new ways. change makes us learn new aspects of ourselves. there have been many changes for me in the last year. I did not welcome them. my son has gone through many changes, because of mental health- and the family with him. Yet without this challenge, he would not have found more about who he wants to be - in life, with friends, as a career. He has learned to stand up for himself, and to recognize his own weaknesses and strengths. But so too the family - we have learned to listen more to each other, to recognize that talking and conversing and arguing is okay- letting it out is the more important role right now.
   I have begun to teach and share Zentangles. I have learned that I love sharing with others. I have acknowledged that art can be a powerful tool and healer. I have learned that I have a power that I did not know I had. And I must embrace it and not abuse it.
  Change will continue to happen. It is how we respond that makes a difference to us and those around us. How will you respond? in the meantime, zentangle a response!