04 September 2006

Then and Now

It’s a peaceful morning. Leigh Nash is singing: Blue on Blue.
I have coffee in my favorite mug with poppies. It is thin and made from English china, the perfect amount of dainty. The bright red poppies remind me of springtime, even though we’re sitting on the edge of fall.

Fall is my favorite season, especially in Nashville where golden leaves drop into crunchy piles and the air turns crisp. I remember when Jeremy and I started dating-- another fall four years ago. We did a photo shoot for his Faith and Heartache record, beginning with a road trip to his hometown of Pennsylvania where autumn is serious about being autumn. Old barns made the landscape rustic and welcoming as we drove along winding roads, stopping in front of abandoned churches to snap photos. Everything felt self-conscious and new, but wonderful at the same time.

Back in Nashville, we found more secluded photo spots on cold October days: chippy-painted benches set alone near a creek, and bridges with rickety planks. Gigantic red leaves covered our feet. Jeremy bundled up in a coat and scarf, which he had to keep removing whenever we found picture spots. He kept pleading for soup and a warm place to sit until I finally ran out of film...


...Now we’re approaching our two-year anniversary and beginning our family with the arrival of our son this winter. I have always thought it fascinating that each season has a perfect length (at least in Tennessee.) Just when you’ve grown weary of the heat and your flip-flops have begun to wear out, fall brings its relief. And right when the winter frost dissolves of its enchantment and makes you lonely, it’s time to kick off your shoes and walk in the grass again. Still, I think we'll be happy for this coming winter to last a little while...

1 comment:

Christine said...

Mmm, I love thinking about autumn in Tennessee. Thank you for sharing these memories so we can all rejoice in what God has done in your lives in the past 4 years. I was just hinking the other day how crazy it is that I met you when I was 19 and I think you were 24!