Maple leaves the colour of sunsets and other reasons I love fall in Nova Scotia

I am writing this post while eating an apple (which is more difficult than it sounds; my fingers are so sticky!), taking a break from working on my thesis.
I was going down the hill this morning, hair still wet from the shower, woolen socks and Birkenstocks on my feet, and I passed a maple tree in someone's front yard with leaves strewn all over. The leaves were brilliant colours of red, yellow and orange, and some were transitioning between all three. The air was crisp and cool and the sun was sharp.  And all  of the sudden I was aware of the leaves, in all their brilliance. I walk past this tree every single day on my way to and from campus. But today I was aware of it, aware of the uniqueness of each of the leaves and their sacredness. What an extravagant blessing.

I am blessed. With maple leaves the colour of sunsets. And then the sunsets themselves, the kind of sunsets that make me think, "God, you really outdid yourself tonight." I am blessed with this apple I am eating right now. I am blessed with Saturdays spent in the library and Wednesdays spent in coffee shops studying hard, writing papers, preparing for presentations. Because I have been given the opportunity to learn. I am blessed with the sound of a country song as I clean the house on a Sunday afternoon... and of a quarter-moon rising and falling as we play ultimate frisbee under the lights of the football field.

I am overflowing with gratitude for these blessings, and there are many more to add to that.
But most of all the maple leaves the colour of sunsets.