In her children’s book, Anne of the Green Gables, author L.M. Montgomery writes,”I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”

There are many reasons to be glad we live in a world of Octobers. The heat of summer–and sometimes oppressive heat—is now behind us, giving way to pleasantly warm days and cool evenings. The beauty of nature unfolds in the changing color of the leaves, transitioning in eloquence from green to hues of red, gold, yellow, orange and brown. Football fans spend their Saturdays and Sundays following their favorite teams on the gridiron.  Baseball takes it final bow of the year with the Fall Classic–the World Series—hopefully with the Dodgers in the hunt.  The autumn harvest, too, brings us many seasonal delights with the abundance of apples, pumpkins, and pomegranates leading the way.

October is a beautiful transition from a busy summer to an even more hectic holiday season that begins around Thanksgiving and goes through to New Year’s Day. Just as it serves as a pause between two hectic times of the year, it also is a reminder for each of us to pause in midst of our busy, sometimes chaotic, lives to take a deep breath, look around and refresh ourselves.

This is especially true for those going through their grieving process. In that time, our lives have indeed been turned upside down, yet we need to take the necessary steps to take care of ourselves—to reflect, recharge, and reengage.

We all need a little October in our lives.