As promised, more ingredients for a great fall recipe. When deciding which picture to post on this early, crisp fall morning, many ideas began to unfold. So many pictures, so many thoughts. Then I ran across the one posted above. When thinking of fall and the autumn season, our tendency is to think of the changing colors of the leaves and their journey from the safe embrace of their host tree to their whimsical journey through the crisp autumn to their final resting place on the ground below. After the leaves have fallen, the curtain to nature's "hidden" living rooms are drawn back for the winter and we are allowed the opportunity to gaze upon the homes of God's creatures. There, in the distance, through the haze, we see a nest. This nest has been the home of some beautiful bird, or squirrel, since the beginning of spring. Now that winter is approaching, these beings have sensed the change in seasons and have "moved out" for the winter. Do you ever wonder where they have gone? Where did they move to for the winter? What does their new home look like? What do their new surroundings look like? All we are left with is a constant reminder that they were there. Even though there were days we did not see them, they were there. Going about their daily routine of life. Making plans for the future for themselves and their young. Then, when the time was right, and only they know when that is, they leave the comfortable surroundings of a space that has been home to them for so long, and begin a new journey.

You see, this birds nest is a symbol of the home that I once occupied with my partner. It was a warm, cozy, familiar space. Great memories. Great friends. Great families. Comfort. Then, the winds of change brushed our face, telling us that fall was coming and it was time to abandon the nest and move on. That, we did. With this move, we left behind a constant reminder that we were once there. A nest, nestled among the tree tops, carefully and beautifully decorated. But no sign of life. And as with all nest, those that we surrounded ourselves with on a daily basis, were left with a sense of loneliness. They sit back, admire the nest and all of the hard work that went into making it a beautiful home. But they remember what was, the hustle and bustle of a busy life. A time of joy. A time of peace. A time never to be forgotten.

Well, the autumn has arrived and my partner and I are in our new nest. Yes, we left behind a beautiful nest. A comfortable nest. A familiar nest. As with the empty nest outside the window, we too have left a nest for others to look at and remember what was. This nest, like those of our feathered friends, are not necessarily doomed to be empty for ever. There is that lingering hope that the bird shall return. Return to a place of familiarity. A place of comfort. A place called home. Until then, enjoy the simplistic beauty of the nest and the memory of the beautiful lives that filled it during the spring.....The empty nest, the first, hidden ingredient of autumns recipe.