If not for summer...

My favorite season has always been Fall.

I love everything about it:  crispy leaves, fire pits, football, cool weather, October.

And if my favorite season is fall, I'd have to say that my least favorite is Summer.  I feel bad to say that, really.  Summer is full of happiness, sun, water, flowers, warmth, no school, vacations.  It's just that I never enjoy the summer as much as the other three seasons.

Last week, though, I was walking through the yard, feeling the heat beating down, noticing all of the grass that needed to be cut when I realized something....

The reason I love Fall so much is because of the contrast it brings to the summer.

Without summer, I wouldn't know how to appreciate fall.  Without the oppressive heat and humidity I wouldn't know the joy of a cool, crisp morning.

When this thought entered my mind, I realized that so much of my life is that way.  Without some poverty, I can't fully appreciate some wealth.  Without some sickness, I can't be fully grateful for my health.  Without pain, my muscles don't get strong.

Without summer, there is no fall.

God's plan is perfect in all its ways.  I love it when I can see it so clearly.