Most Wonderful Time

Autumn is upon us! Pre-season football is well underway (my team’s 1 for 2 right now…)Schools are following suit. Days are getting cooler (sometimes) and shorter, while nights are getting longer. Stores are putting out fall/Halloween decorations, with Christmas decor not far behind. For all of these reasons and more, this is my favorite time of year. 


Tonight, as I realize we have come full circle from last year, I am reminded that each year things change, just a little bit. 


You see, I have recently been experiencing a slight mental breakdown…something one might also refer to as a quarter-life crisis. Feeling as though I should be much further, much more settled in my life. Fearing that I may never be among the lucky people who actually love their lives and love what they do.


However, tonight, I thought something else. This way of thinking is wrong. I keep viewing each step as a destination, as if I am supposed to have arrived somewhere. 


Then, I realized that I have no where near arrived anywhere. The destination is not until the end, and unless I plan to die tomorrow, I will not reach the destination for a long while (Lord willing).


I thought of my GPS. After typing in a destination, if I want to see another location, I type in that address. Then, the GPS asks “set as new destination” or “add as via point.” 


By selecting “via point,” my GPS only tells me that my via point is on my right or left when I arrive, but does not have me stop. The machine keeps going, because the “via point” is not meant to be a stop, it simply determines the route taken.


So, this is how I am choosing to look at this part of my life. It is not a destination, not a stop. I am not meant to settle in here, not meant to stay and wallow. It is a via point. This location has simply determined the route my life is taking to get to the destination. 


Each hard time, each easy time. Each happy time, each painful time. Everything is a via point that determines the route my GPS takes to get me to my final destination. Each simply adds to the scenery of my trip. 


And, at this time of year, the scenery always looks good from my perspective. No matter where I am, no matter how hard life is, when the leaves turn and the sun sets a little earlier, my heart inside is happy. I see GOD around me in ways I don’t at other times of the year. 


Autumn always makes my via points even more pronounced and special.


For me, it’s the most wonderful time :o)

Another place I see GOD’s creativity and beauty: Roses get me every time! And these just look like Fall!