This summer was the best I have had in a long time. I enjoy summer because the weather is always warm, sometimes even hot.
I was so focused on enjoying my summer that I did not realize Fall had arrived.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, came into my office the other day and asked if I knew what day it was.
Looking at her with a smug smile, I said, “Yes, my dear, I do know what day it is. It's today.”
She chuckled and said, “Oh, you don’t know what today is. It's Fall. Don't you keep up with anything?”
Looking at her with a bit of hesitation, I said, “What do you mean it’s Fall?”
The critical thing about summertime is Martha stocking up on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's activities. She packs the refrigerator and freezer to the max. By the time summer’s over, she’s already prepared for the upcoming holidays.
It takes her a few weeks to find the right turkey for the holiday season. She is an expert in finding the right turkeys — after all, she found me.
Now that summer is over, I’ve graduated into Fall. There are some advantages to this time of year, and I’m still learning what some are.
One advantage I use as much as possible is the weather. In the Fall, it’s cooler than in summertime. Of course, with me, when the temperature drops below my age (in the 70s), I’m freezing.
So, there’s an advantage to this because if Martha wants me to go outside, I renege and say, “Oh, boy, I’d really love to, but it’s so cold I really can't handle it.”
She’ll look at me, smile and say, “If you think it’s cold, why don't you put on a sweater and then go outside?”
The other aspect of the Fall season is it starts the many holidays celebrated in the coming months. They go from Halloween to Easter.
Of course, the great benefit of all these holidays is Martha organizes our family get-together. It’s during the summer she stocks up on all the food for these get-togethers.
Then, when that holiday comes, I really don’t care which one it is because I’m going to celebrate whatever food she puts on the table.
I do not think anybody makes a better pumpkin pie than my wife. My favorite pie is the one I’m eating at the time. I’d make up a holiday if it meant I had one of her pies.
If it weren't for all these holidays, I wouldn't have been able to see some of my family. Therefore, the great thing about graduating to the Fall is about families. Nothing is greater than gathering around the dinner table with your family and eating the delicious food there for us.
As I considered gathering as a family to celebrate, I thought of a verse in the Bible.
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
— Psalm 107: 8
Gathering together is a great time to celebrate all that God has blessed us with during the year. And He has blessed us wonderfully again.
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
