No. 14: The November Favorites + Late and Right on Time
On a rainy walk through our neighborhood the other day, I discovered an entire field full of red leaves. Breathtaking is a dramatic word, I know, but if we can’t use it to describe God’s watercolor skills, when can we—right?
I picked up more leaves than I care to admit here in this letter, each one more stunning than the last. You know when a leaf has a crackled hole in it like stained glass and the border around the crackly hole turns a shade of neon yellow? Or the way the stems turn a shade of red Crayola couldn’t match with a year’s worth of time in the lab? Or, like this one, the way the decay of rust starts creeping from the outside in and yet it only makes the vibrant oranges and reds even more stunning?
Despite years of living in Northern California, an entire childhood in Chicago and seven years of living in Virginia after getting married has wired me a certain way. I’ve come to expect Fall to come when I crave it. The moment the itch for cider and a beanie arrives, I should be able to look out my window and see the leaves starting to change. By the time Halloween rolls around, the entire town should be a Thomas Kinkade painting or the at the very least should resemble Stars Hollow for the Fall episodes.
Texas doesn’t behave that way.
Texas isn’t my hometown (miss you forever, Barrington IL) and it’s not the town I became a wife and a mother in (love you always, Leesburg VA.) Texas remains hot and muggy and fades from bright green to a miserable tannish greyish ochre seemingly overnight in November. But when you least expect it, when you’re absolutely sure everything will just let out a silent dying breath and disappear until April, it happens.
Whole neighborhoods become golden and crimson and tangerine. It’s technically late for this transition being that it’s almost December, of course, so the leaves coat the ground more than the trees. Nevertheless, it’s magic. Pure magic. Is it Vermont in October? Nope. Can it rival Shenandoah in November? Nah.
But just when you think the magic isn’t going to happen, it surprises you and lays itself out under your feet to crunch as you pass by in wonder.
It got me thinking, standing there in the rain with that leaf in between my fingers, that maybe when we feel like we’re behind, maybe when we look at everyone else doing just what they expected to right when they expected to—maybe we’re late so that we can be right on time.
I got this plain wooden advent calendar and let the kids paint all over it and decorate the drawers. My plan is to write a Christmas song or hymn on a little piece of paper, fold it up and put it in the drawers as a “song a day” advent situation. We always do a different advent setup before bed all season, but this just seems like a sweet breakfast situation.
If you’re leaning hard into that sweet tooth but want an alternate to the migraine-inducing sugary stuff, bake a batch of these paleo chocolate chip cookies. They’re super clean, feel extra healthy and taste incredibly delicious. They’re my favorite cookie to bring my kids in the car as an after school snack.
If you know me, me you know my obsession with these restored old videos. That video was taken only 80 years ago and looks like it’s been a lifetime. In fashion history, I remember learning about the subtle differences in fashion from 1705, 1805 and 1905. The jump from 1920 to 2020, thought, is unlike anything the fashion world has ever seen and I just find it fascinating. (Also sort of sad, to be honest)
“When I think I’m unfairly hated, I remember I am also unfairly loved.” Just a little R.C. Sproul gem for you this morning.
I was going to share my current quick meal favorites this week, but I’ll save it for next time. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably feeling a bit tired today. It’s been a whirlwind week since Thanksgiving. Actually, doesn’t Thanksgiving feel like a month ago? The state of my inbox—all the sales, all the promises, all the “you can’t miss out on this” and “last chance” shouting…it’s loud. And exhausting. So we’ll keep this quiet, okay?
Have a beautiful weekend, friends.