My favourite tree is glowing gold, signalling the end to another warm season. It’s much later than usual, but I’m not complaining. Every year it puts on a short but brilliant show, like a matchstick going out in a blaze of glory. Soon after, the second act: tall weeping birch and poplars with their yellow leaves popping against the dark blue early fall sky. Then, the bright yellow and rusty orange of the lilac and Saskatoon bushes and the cotoneaster’s signature red and orange fire. Absolute fall perfection.

September is one of my favourite months of the year for its blend of warmth and chill, brilliance and coziness. The colours are usually the brightest over the next two weeks heading into October, as greens fade to yellows and oranges, ruby reds and deep purples. Amid the harvest scene, bright pink roses and happy sunflowers are having their centre stage moment.

The glory of the Lord is all around us!

It’s also one of the busiest times of the year for our family, with school and church and activities, plus the start of cold and flu season. Could be the worst time of year for a holiday that calls us to pause, gather together and be thankful for all we have been blessed with. Maybe that’s why we need it so much!

The fall decor is out at the dollar store and the pre-made grocery store cupcakes have orange and white frosting, but it’s hard to feel like Thanksgiving is anything more than a quick sale on turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, with a few fake orange leaves and some fancy napkins on the side. So I fight the tide in my own way with Three Weeks of Thanks. We’ll take time over the next three weeks to intentionally celebrate the blessings we’ve been given by the One who holds it all together.

Psalm 103 anchors our season with the reminder that it’s not just the stuff we’ve been given, but the Giver Himself who is worthy of our praise!

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.

The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—

with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.

Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.

Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Amen! May our Thanksgiving season be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and His goodness, and may we learn to praise Him in all things, for all things, even when we don’t have the full picture. May we trust Him more and more with each passing season, and may we discover blessings in places we would never have imagined.