I’m not sure if I’m unique in this, but I see autumn, along with its counterpart, spring, as less seasons themselves and more as transitions leading to the “main” seasons of summer and winter. I guess I feel this way because they are less extreme than the times they lead into. Fall ushers in the cold, brooding season of winter, while spring clears the path for the long, warm, sun-drenched days of summer. For me, autumn is a time of preparation and anticipation. Preparation comes in the form of getting the house ready, inside and out, for the things to come. Anticipation is all about preparing not just our homes for the festive holiday season, but also our hearts and minds.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a substitute teacher now. The joys of being a sub are manifold, but one of the biggest is the ability to look at the weather forecast and declare the next day to be a day off from work. Even with that, I work more than enough to make as much as or more than I did as a full-time teacher.

I’ve been taking advantage of that occasional day off along with the unseasonably warm, sunny weather to get the house ready, inside and out, for the holidays and winter. Flower beds are cleaned out, leaves are sucked up, and planters are emptied and stowed away until next spring. I have one last minor job left and the house will be ready for its long winter’s nap. And I’ve even gotten our outside Christmas lights up. We won’t light them regularly until this coming weekend, when Thanksgiving break begins, but they’re ready!

So, because I’ve gotten all that work, which is usually reserved for break, completed, I’ll have plenty of time to work inside the house. Sarah and I are excited to be hosting parts of both of our families for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity. Before my folks passed, it was either at their house or at the home of my niece, who has a nice big space. Last year, we were kind of all just wandering in different directions, still reeling from the loss of both our parents in a period of four months, so Thanksgiving kind of just didn’t happen.

This year, on the other hand, I’m excited to be having at least one sibling, my aforementioned niece and her children, and Sarah’s parents, along with our daughter, who will be home soon for her first college Thanksgiving break, and her boyfriend, who also attends Ohio University, for dinner on Thursday evening. Our narrow little house will be bulging, but we’re excited to be back to being family and celebrating the holidays again. I look forward to reminiscing warmly about our parents together rather than going off into our own little corners to lick our wounds, which is what last year felt like.

And then, we’ll be in full anticipation mode. I love the Advent season and Christmas so much! I adore the music, the lights, the special celebrations, but as I grow older, my joy becomes less and less about the festivities and more and more about the beautiful true meaning behind it. Advent is a time of planned anticipation, as we look forward to the celebration that is Christmas, the joy-filled remembrance of when God became a human being, born in a humble stable to working-class parents in a sleepy little village, and whose birth was first announced to lowly shepherds. All that for the birth that meant more to this world than any other, before or since. And Christmas itself is an act of faithful anticipation, for without the events of Easter, Christmas would be an empty and meaningless ritual.

So, what does autumn mean to you? I’d love to hear from you.