Autumn, the air is fresh, with just a snap of chill until the sun bursts through and gives warmth to those it touches. The leaves are turning the colors of the earth: yellows, gold, orange, red and brown all blending together on the branches they are holding onto, illuminating the landscape with a kaleidoscope of color.

Autumn, my favorite. The nights cool down and the days mix between warm and cool, as if the weather is not quite sure which direction to take.

Autumn always reminds me of my conversation with a lady way down south in North Carolina before I took a journey down that way.

My best friend and I were going to attend a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina so I was preparing and planning a few day trips that we could take once we were down there.

I had called down to Samaritans Purse, the organization that collects and distributes shoe boxes to children around the world. Their head office is in Boone, North Carolina and I called to find out about tour times and dates.

The southern lady on the other end of the phone gave me the rundown in her very thick and wonderful southern accent on how far it was from Charlotte, which route would be the best one to take, tour times and so on.

She asked me when we were thinking of coming and I told her near the end of September.

Then the end the conversation went something like this: **Please note you will have to use your very best southern drawl for the full effect of the following conversation**

Her: “Ohhh, the extensive foliage will be beautiful.”

Me: “Pardon me?”

Her: “The extensive foliage.”

Me: “I’m so sorry, could you repeat that.”

Her: “The extensive foliage will be so beautiful.”

Me: “Foil….age?”

Her: spoken very slowly, very clearly and very southern, “The… LEAVES… ON… THE… TREES”

Me: (now in full giggle) “Ahhh, the extensive foliage….”

I excitedly called my girlfriend and told her that we were going to see extensive foliage to which she replied, “Pardon me?"

Autumn, my favorite – the foliage is extensive!

Every time I see a tree in full color, that conversation comes into my head and it gets better every single year I see the colors change and remember it!

It is a gift that truly keeps on giving.