Collecting Leaves and Memories ~

I have admired the tree leaves changing their color on my daily walks. On one of my walks I started picking up some beautiful leaves. In my the process of collecting leaves, a memory came to me... When the kids were little we would take walks to break up our day. I would give the kids a bag and we would collect sticks, feathers, leaves etc., come home from our walk and empty our bags. We would then get the paste, glue, glitter, tape and construction paper out. We would get started on our collection and make art. They would decorate our refrigerator for everyone to see.

The season of Fall holds many memories for me... hay rides, Bonn fires, football games, holding hands running through the sprinklers, and that first sweet kiss. I remember sewing Halloween costumes for my children and going to pick out our pumpkin and carving the perfect face on them.

We found out my dad had cancer in October, which makes my memories of this season in my life bittersweet. A time I will always cherish. It was the beginning of the end. We were told we would have my dad for 7 months at the most with chemo. I had not only one, but two October's and November's with him. I can still see him coming out of the door from his house with a smile as I was parking my car. The wind blowing, he'd tell me to "Hurry! You are going to blow away with the wind... you need to gain some weight!" Then asking me with genuine concern if I ate that day. I can recall feeling both very loved and blessed at that moment. I didn't realize at the time that memory would be etched in my heart and mind, carrying me over until we are together again.

It's interesting how picking up a single leaf or the wind blowing will connect you with a time, place or event in your life.

release

confetti of colored leaves

October

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.

- Robert Frost

Mmmm...

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.

- George Eliot

The Love of October

A child looking at ruins grows younger
but cold
and wants to wake to a new name
I have been younger in October
than in all the months of spring
walnut and may leaves the color
of shoulders at the end of summer
a month that has been to the mountain
and become light there
the long grass lies pointing uphill
even in death for a reason
that none of us knows
and the wren laughs in the early shade now
come again shining glance in your good time
naked air late morning
my love is for lightness
of touch foot feather
the day is yet one more yellow leaf
and without turning I kiss the light
by an old well on the last of the month
gathering wild rose hips
in the sun

- W. S. Merwin, The Love of October

Be Kind to Yourself ~

Chai Tea

stop
take some time for yourself ~ it's okay
light a candle
put your favorite music on
that movie you have been wanting to see
or snuggle into your favorite spot
and get that book you have been wanting to read
get your favorite mug out and put your favorite drink in it
sit back
breathe
just enjoy this moment

:)

Nutrition Quiz

Carbs tend to go in and out of favor from a nutrition standpoint. What's the latest? Here's a quiz based on information from the Harvard School of Public Health to find out how savvy your are about carbohydrates in your diet.

1. Carbohydrates provide the body with fuel for physical activity and organ function.
True or False?

2. Carbohydrates come from all types of foods, including bread, dairy, grains, fibers, starches and sugars.
True or False?

3. During digestion, the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar).
True or False?

4. The glycemic index measures how quickly food is converted to blood sugar.
True or False?

5. Diets that include a lot of high- glycemic index foods (foods broken down quickly) have been licked to an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.
True or False?

6. The more fat a food contains, the faster its carbohydrates are converted to sugar.
True or False?

7. Finely ground grains have no more impact on the glycemic index than more coarsely ground grain.
True or False?

8. For optimal health, select carbohydrates that include whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice or whole oats.
True or False?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Answers: 1) True; 2) True; 3) True; 4) True; 5) True; 6) False; 7) False; 8) True.

October Trees

How innocent were these Trees, that in
Mist-green May, blown by a prospering breeze,
Stood garlanded and gay;
Who now in sundown glow
Of serious color clad confront me with their show
As though resigned and sad,
Trees, who unwhispering stand umber, bronze, gold;
Pavilioning the land for one grown tired and old;
Elm, chestnut, aspen and pine, I am merged in you,
Who tell once more in tones of time,
Your foliaged farewell.

- Siegfried Sassoon