~ The Joy of Fall ~

The dearest hands that clasp our hands,   
Their presence may be o’er;
The dearest voice that meets our ear,
That tone may come no more!
Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,
Which once refresh’d our mind,
Shall come — as, on those sighing woods,
The chilling autumn wind.
   from The Autumn
          by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1833)

Summer fades to fall, here in the Midwest we look forward to the relief from the hot summer days and invite the cool crisp starry nights. Any long time resident will agree that fall is the best season. The change of season gives pause to remember those friends and family who we shared lives with.                             Like beautiful summer flowers, we hold their memories in our hearts. Fall gives us a bounty of things to see, eat, smell, and do.                                                              There are the wonderful festivals that are free to see! St. Charles Scarecrow Festival

Great decorations that are just an imagination away,


and beautiful flowers are still in bloom!







   

                              
                                         
                                             But best of all is the spectacular show from mother nature!!

** The Joy of children **

With most people, once you become an adult you strive for self/family/work balance.

Trying to keep an even keel proves to be difficult while juggling schedules with loved ones, meeting financial responsibilities, pleasing employers, and finding time to do the things you love. The myriad of other time absorbing obstacles seems to melt the years away. One day you wake up and find yourself at a much later time in life!

But there is one thing that any parent will agree on is the joy of raising a child.

There are frustrating, difficult, painful times that go with the happy, fulfilling joyous times.

We have times when we seem to have abundant resources to make our lives meaningful and fun for our children.

Then there are times when we just have to make due with what is available to us.

                               There are always the milestone celebrations we remember.

1st birthday!!

Graduation Day!!

Sometimes we need to call upon family members to help us with our tasks so we can have more time together.

The seasons seem to fly by so fast as they grow up.

We watch them discover new things.

 

 We remember some of the silly things they did.

We watch them grow into beautiful people.

 Cherish each and every day you have with your children, they only are young once. They grow up fast!!  Love you Cassandra, my daughter, my friend :)

Life is a journey, some times short, some times long, we never know how much time we have.
Today I started a blog to reflect on my journey and the joy of living.