Fall sneaks up like the sun does as it fascinates the morning air and turns it to gold. It finds its way just on the other side of the forest, sweeping across the tops of trees and painting the valleys with fire. The whole world pauses in the form of precious crystals in the morning dew as the early light of dawn is dripped through the leaves as if gold were being poured from a cup.

Some days, I wish that I could bottle the air that autumn sweeps in and save it for a heavier day. Even when it rains, I can't help but notice the way it sings against the surface of the prematurely fallen leaves that decorate the pavement. The breeze so slightly catches my hair as it tugs my thoughts away from the things that I mind but don’t truly matter. As the leaves hang suspended in the air as if challenging both time and gravity, I am content with the world as it unfolds into perfect solitude.

I love the simplicity that this life offers during its most chaotic moments. I love God's ability to show us beauty during a time when the world is at its ugliest. For me, fall is the closet this life will ever get to being perfect, so I guess it's suiting that it's so short lived. However, in these fleeting moments, no matter how small they may be, happiness is simple. For once, it is more about slowing the time and stopping the leaves from dropping from their perches and less than it is rushing through the seasons and begging for Friday.

It's not enough to just look. I have to pause, to listen. We gain nothing from hearing the sound of our own voices. The silence that lies beneath the chatter of murmuring voices is the sound that truly speaks with meaning. This is the silence that speaks, for it is the only silence that allows our own thoughts to be heard. It makes no sense until you stand along in the middle of the woods, staring straight into the heart of the world that screams to be recognized as it is idly abused. But our voices mask the sound and the worlds' will be lost until we open our eyes, quiet our own lips and just listen.

Listen to the wind that tosses the brances around like rumors of the forest--there's a truth to them that the human ear is not atuned to hear. Listen to the autumn that rolls down the mountain, bumping into the stones that rest tranquily just below the surface of our deepest dreams. Notice the sunlight as it bounces between autumn leaves, and don't be afraid of the simplicity that the fleeting days of fall offer.