The thinnest yellow light of November

 

"The thinnest yellow light of November is more warming and exhilarating than any wine they tell of.” – Henry David Thoreau

 

‘Tis November and today was a glorious autumn day.  It was a chilly start to November with frost the past few mornings. I plan to enjoy the nice weather and fall colors while they last since the long-range forecast calls for cold temps again by Friday.

Although this part of November ranks among my favorites, to me, it’s not yet the holiday season.  Many choose to launch Christmas on the heels of Halloween – to each their own but it’s not for me.  I prefer to savor the last of the autumn season in all its’ glory and to anticipate Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, with joy.

 

I like Thanksgiving because it’s simple. There are no gifts to buy. Decorations can be lavish or minimal. The meal and the spirit of giving thanks are the centerpiece of the holiday.  For me, for many years now, November kicks off a wild season of doing and going, so hectic at times that the true meaning of the season can easily elude us.  As a parent, school events and activities increase as the holidays arrive whether it’s the parties, now for fall and winter, not Halloween and Christmas in the spirit of being politically correct, the concerts, or other events.

Now that I have returned to the work world, spending my time between 8 and 5 Monday through Friday in my own cubicle with two computer screens open and a head set on my head. I work in retention – keeping current customers on board and offering other products and services. Think mobile – the company offers it at some amazing prices.

But working means there’s less time to prepare for holidays although it also means I value them more.

In addition to the job, I will continue writing. I just finished the first edits for A Time For Peace, A Time For War. I have two titles coming out in the future, no date yet, from World Castle Publishing, which are Scrooge & Marlee and Where Dreams Come True.  And there’s one more in addition to A Time For Peace, A Time For War with Evernight Publishing which is The Cowboy Gladiator so that’s four upcoming. Then there’s The Legacy of Boone Wilson, a Western set post-Civil war in Laredo.  Hopefully it will be accepted by a publisher as well.  Then I have several works-in-progress.

I’ve worked too long and too hard to let the writing lapse so it will continue, whatever it takes.

I work Monday through Friday, on Saturday I do the messages (groceries, errands, etc,) and on Sunday, I go to Mass, teach PSR, make dinner, then have one afternoon of relaxation. And in between, I write and read as much as I can.  Sometimes I watch a show or movie.

November marked the start of my job, post-training.

I will savor the season, like Thoreau’s quote. I wait for Advent and Christmas, for which I will enjoy in it’s own time.

November is here!