Fall in Colorado
by Paul Shreve
CRWA Training Specialist
Fall in Colorado is incredible. There is snow in the high country, color on the leaves throughout the state, though it is fading fast at the higher elevations, and the air has a crispness that is refreshing to the soul. The birds are flocking and some have started south, getting an early start on a long journey. In my front yard, three does and four fawns play on a daily basis, free from pressures of hunting and danger. I am surrounded by a veritable bounty of beautiful sights.
Having just returned from training held in Dallas, full of rushing traffic and noises of infinite variety, it is indeed refreshing to behold the majestic mountains, enjoy the relative quiet, and breathe the much cleaner air. Coloradoans are blessed to live in such a place, graced with natures' beauty. All should take time to pause in busy schedules, if necessary, get out of the city, and breathe in God's creation, given for the enjoyment of all.
The only problem with fall is the melancholy that accompanies the season. As each fall season blossoms, I realize that I am a year older and probably just that much further behind. As I watch the leaves turn, I am always amazed by natures gifts; while at the same time, I am mindful of being a year further down life's path. Time is escaping with no means of recapturing that wasted or lost through folly. Adding to the pensive frame of mind, is the realization that challenges will present themselves that I am not yet prepared to face. Facing ones own mortality is a difficult task when you are not yet where you wish to be, either mentally, physically, financially, or spiritually. I again ask myself the same old questions that I have posed in previous articles, and I am able to answer in the affirmative for most, if not all, of them. The greatest of these being, "Have you made a difference, for the better, in life for another person?" Hopefully, your answer is "Yes, I have made a difference!" I pray you will have a beautiful and bountiful Thanksgiving.
