Recognizing that I make this assertion with complete and
total bias, I still need to say it: October is far and away the best month of
the year.
In addition to many things to celebrate – Halloween, my
birthday, the feast days of Thérèse, the Guardian Angels, Jerome, Faustina, and
John Paul the Great – October itself is, quite simply put, the bomb diggity.
It is important you know that I would not use such a
profound, prestigious, and meaningful term such as “bomb diggity” lightly. No,
I truly mean what I say. According to
urban dictionary, bomb diggity is “awesomeness in its purest form.”
Pure, unadulterated awesome.
October, I stand in awe of your beauty. That splendor and awe which fills man, making
him feel both small and wholly loved. The melancholic recognition that this
beauty is but the precursor of death, the world soon to turn lifeless
and grey. There is an urgency to the joy of the season, to enjoy all it has to
offer before one wind comes and strips the trees of their motley.As if the patchwork of hues of the deepest red to brightest gold and the startling orange of the sugar maples covering the country hillside weren’t enough, autumn does not stop at treating the eyes with her beauty, but offers to those willing to rise from their seats and venture forth out of doors a tangible beauty engaging all of the senses. The majesty of creation becomes personal.
Walking a forest path, the soft sunlight streaming
through the trees, the world is tinted a myriad of bright colors. The sound of
crisp leaves rustling underfoot with each satisfying step fills the air. A
pause and the sound of leaf-crunching footsteps is replaced by the soft sound
of leaves falling to ground and the brisk breeze through the trees. This breeze brings with it the sweet smell of
the autumnal forest, the sweetest scent which precedes the withering winter. It
is a chilled wind, the promise of true cold upon it, but for the moment no coat
is necessary. As the sunlight grows dim
and grey dreary skies take its place, there is the briefest moment of most
beautiful contrast before the colors fade into darkness. Filled with such
beauty, the love of the Creator is overwhelming. This uncontainable beauty
becomes part of the person.
The evening is left to be spent by the fireside, sipping
delicious hot cider or mulled wine, the aroma of apples and cloves mixing
perfectly as the imagination wanders.
