This morning after my walk I was working on some chairs I am refinishing in my backyard. I stopped and sat down on my porch swing and relished in the beautiful morning. It was stunning.

Have you noticed that the autumn sky is a different shade of blue? There were no clouds this morning, just this stark blue vastness surrounding the still visible full moon. There was no wind that I could feel. Everything was still and peaceful. There was sound, birds and traffic and city noises, but it was not distracting. The noise seemed to affirm that life was carrying on.

On Halloween, I drove an errand and saw that our neighborhood was filled with children and families. It felt so good to see this odd American tradition in all it’s glory. It is true the candy amount was more conservative this year, but it is also true that the children still received some. At our house, we bought too much. The children’s eyes got big because we shoveled it into their bags and pumpkins so as not to have it here to tempt us. One little boy said he didn’t like Dum Dums and wanted to see what else we had to offer. We smiled because we had something else to offer.

I believe many are feeling concern about the future. There is so much uncertainty, anger, disappointment and fear of the unknown. And now the leaves are beginning to litter our lawns. The days are shorter and I feel that winter sadness creeping ever so slowly closer, chilling my bones.

But it was not on my mind today. For today, I was grateful for the autumn blue sky and the Indian summer we are now enjoying. Both remind me of childhood and all that was possible. It reminds me that it still is. We still have something else to offer.