Clear Skies and a Crisp Night Please

I love fall.

I love the cool nights, the cozy duvets, and the sunny brisk afternoons. Walking the path on a Sunday afternoon and catching a hint of wood smoke in the air. This state of summer-end and autumn brewing in the background is my favourite time of year.

It’s not as though you can swim or ski. You can’t really do much in terms of seasonal sports at this time of year, but there is something about this change in season that evokes warmth and a smile from me.

I have fond memories from when I was about 6 or 7, stacking chords of wood and smelling the woodstove burning for the first time each year. I can remember walking through the byward market on sunny afternoons, buying pumpkins for the doorstep and picking up fall daisies on the way home.

Each year when fall is upon us, I am surprised, but pleased that the memories that are dormant inside me all year long can be easily summoned by a walk in the woods on a sunny morning or a fire nearby in somebody’s woodstove.

A memory that is very close to the surface for me tonight is that of the Light the Night Walk in October of 2006. As you may know, I am fundraising for the 2010 walk to raise money for Leukemia research and I have invited the kids to share this experience with me this year.

I walked the event with Mark that year and it was a perfect evening for it. It was brisk but clear and we walked along English Bay with hundreds of others. I remember noticing the stars for part of the walk and thinking to myself that fall was the perfect time for an event like this. I was in awe of the venue as we walked beside the ocean listening to the waves lapping at the beach. The crisp fall air kept us moving as we made our way back to Stanley Park where the large fir trees waited for us at the finish line. It was a perfect night for it.

As I prepare for this years’ walk I know it will be very different. I’ll have Audrey and Noah at my side this time and Mark in my heart. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for clear skies and a crisp night...

Click on the link below to see the details for our walk.

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=989027