Matta-A Planting of the Lord: Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

by Robert Frost

I adore Autumn; I can say that it is my favorite season of all. All the beautiful changing colors of the trees, the crisp air, trips to the pumpkin patch, considerably less bugs, trick-or-treating, and just a feeling of nostalgia that overcomes me during this time...this is what I love about Fall. However, it comes and goes so quickly that I sometimes feel as though I didn't stop and enjoy all the beauties it has to offer. In our back yard we have a tree, Maple (i think), and it turns the most brilliant golden yellow. If you stand under it and look up, it's as if you are looking into a sea of gold, sparkling with sunlight. It is magnificent and the camera can't catch the true glory of it. This golden sea is there for but a couple of days; if we are lucky a week. Then it is gone...all the leaves have fallen to the ground. The beauty of fall lasts but minutes compared to the other seasons. I think in many ways this is what makes it so very special...because it is so fleeting.

This is how childhood is and life in general. However, childhood has been on my mind. My children are growing up so quickly and the time truly does fly. Scott and I were watching videos from a year ago and just to see how much Samuel is talking and how he has grown and changed is amazing. Lola has also changed . She was so chubby when she came to us and barely talking. Now she talks in English and Romanian and has grown tall and slim. It is hard to believe that Brennan is the same baby we brought home only a little over two months ago. He is smiling, cooing, rolling over, lifting his head and chest off the ground, and now weighs 17lbs. The beauties of childhood are fleeting. As with the beauties of Autumn I have not taken the time to just stand under the golden sea of leaves and wonder at the beauty of it all. Why does life have to seem so frantic at times? Must keep to the schedule, supper, baths, books, bed, housework, and oh... when all I want to do is snuggle with Samuel on the couch and let him fall asleep in my arms...but we all know what that would lead to :)

Robert Frost was right when he wrote "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Childhood is gold; it is often our finest hour and it only stays but a short time...

Here is our photo tribute to Fall and to Childhood...may it help us remember the beauty of them both long after they are gone.