It is finally fall.
We are past the whole “back-to-school” crazy but haven’t quite hit the “holiday” crazy.
This is my favorite time of year. Someday, maybe I will live in a place that actually has a “real” fall. I’ve grown up in Texas, and fall usually only lasts about a week. It comes between the 350 days of summer and the five days of winter. If you blink, you will miss it!
But, for those few glorious days, when the weather is crisp and the leaves are changing, I am blissfully happy. I start pretending that it is fall on September 1 because that is the day I start using my cinnamon pumpkin shower gel.
You weren’t expecting that, were you?
Smell very often triggers memories, and when I smell that wonderful scent, it just “feels” like fall because it smells like fall to me.
What is a “Mom of Fall”?
Being a “Mom of Fall” is a real thing.
You’ve heard about the Helicopter Mom who hovers to make sure that every detail is situated for her child.
Maybe you’ve also heard of the Lawnmower Mom, who literally takes out everything in her child’s path, making sure there are no obstacles.
But have you heard of the Mom of Fall?
They are the “Have you done your homework?” and “No, you can’t go because it’s a school night” mom.
The Mom of Fall has figured out the carpool line at every school. She has washed ten thousand loads of laundry and packed countless lunches. She has accepted the fact that the men who choose the sports uniforms don’t care what you have to do to keep the white football pants clean.
She has figured out how to turn her kitchen into a full-on cafeteria line as people eat between school, practice, and group projects.
Her car has turned into a taxi service with an equipment collection that rivals a sporting goods store in the back seat.
The Mom of Fall is not a Helicopter Mom or a Lawnmower Mom. The Mom of Fall helps with homework and is an expert at math, science, social studies, reading, writing, and spelling. And if the Mom of Fall has a full-time job of her own . . . well, that is a whole “other thing.”
That may be where she goes to relax and rejuvenate.
The Mom of Fall is exhausted, and she may feel like she has become the Invisible Mom because so much of what she does is for others who may or may not notice. But, without her, nothing would be clean and everyone would starve.
She might have even rolled her eyes when she heard, “How cool is it that Suzy’s mom cuts her sandwiches into animal shapes?”
Or, she thought, If I have to go to another “Pinterest-perfect” birthday party . . . .
God sees your work!
If you’re feeling like a Mom of Fall who has become invisible, HE SEES YOU.
Light a pumpkin spice candle and take a few minutes to breathe.
You have a Shepherd who has made you more than enough in him. It is not possible to be invisible in his presence. He is with you by the streams, in the pastures, through the valleys, and in the carpool lines.
He wants to take you to the table he has prepared where you do not have to do a thing except for share an overflowing cup of coffee with your Savior. There is no need to worry about the Lawnmowers, Helicopters, or Pinteresters. If your eyes are fixed only on Jesus, you won’t see them anyway.
“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:28–30 ESV).
P.S. Mom share: I mentioned at the beginning about smelling my cinnamon pumpkin shower gel.
I switch my “scent” every season. Sometimes, I go back to the tried-and-true favorites. Sometimes, I will branch out. Cinnamon pumpkin is always fall, and vanilla is always winter. Spring is flowery, and summer is fruity.
When I smell them, it makes me happy, and I remember all of the things I love about that time of year.
I also started getting a new scent when we go on vacations. Then, when I smell it, I am transported back to a fun memory. One scent in particular takes me immediately to the fun Caribbean cruise my husband and I took. Another scent takes me straight to the mountains. It’s a little thing I do for me. I have introduced my daughter to this too. It’s fun to go pick out vacation smells together.
Consider a few extra resources:
