Ah, October, how I missed you.
A few Septembers in recent years have been less than worth remembering; others have been awful.One September I lost my precious mother-in-law; another September took two sweet wives of my brothers-in-law. I have been sickest in September, in more pain in September and have just come to dread its arrival and celebrate its end.
But I love October. It has always been a special month for me. My birthday is at the end, the weather is usually beautiful, the sky shows out day and night. The leaves turn, the owl in my back yard has long conversations with his lady friend, and everything just seems right in my little world.
It could go on being October right up until December; not that I have any disdain for November, it just seems like filler between the two months to me, and I consider every day Thanksgiving.
This year I have a new reason to love October. I am anticipating the arrival of my fourth grandchild, a girl. She will be named after my mother-in-law and my grandmother. I love family names. Being born in my birth month, near the beginning will just cap off October as my favorite.
My daughter and son-in-law graciously allowed me to be present at the birth of their first child. It was an experience I will never forget. I didn’t ask to be there; my son-in-law just suggested I stay when it looked like he might be overwhelmed just a little. He is a calm, intelligent, sweet soul, who was maybe just a little bit worried he might need oxygen in the middle of delivery and my daughter might need an assistant coach to fill in for a bit.
I’m happy to say he handled it all with great courage and didn’t need as much as a tissue. When someone asked if I was going to be allowed in for this delivery, he stated that he felt it would be best, and my daughter agreed. Of course, I’m happy to oblige.
There are other months I love almost as much as October. Starting in January I put out a birthday cake flag on my front porch that pretty much stays out until May. We have at least two kid birthdays in each of those months. When you have seven children and three grandchildren, that is easy to do. All these celebrations add life to winter and joy to spring.
We have one little sweetie whose birthday is in July. She has the entire summer to herself.
I’m sure before it is all said and done I will have a reason to love all the months. Babies have a way of changing things.
For now, I am so happy to feel the cool morning air, to pull on a sweatshirt, open windows and breathe in. October’s sun streams through the trees, and a few leaves are already turning gold and red. I’m listening for my owl friend and for a call to take my place beside my second born as she gives birth to her second born.
Happy October, everyone.
Angie Brown is a humorist who loves being a wife, mother and grandmother. She lives in Opelika with her husband of 31 years and four of their seven children.