FREE Fall Printable with Anne of Green Gables Quote

It was my mother and father who taught me a love for books and reading at a young age. My mom would tuck me into bed each night with a story and a promise that someday I'd be able to read a story to her. I remember my dad being an avid reader too. He'd devour an entire novel in one or two sittings. Books were in ample supply in our home and when I did learn to read, I'd eagerly grab up every book I could get my hands on.

One of my childhood favorites was Anne of Green Gables. I'd immerse myself into the book almost feeling like I was right there with those colorful characters from Avonlea. I'd sit and sketch drawings of Rose Cottage and endlessly watch both the Road to Avonlea television series and Anne of Green Gables movies. The books were what I loved most though.

Lucy Maud Montgomery was by far one my favorite authors. I can't even begin to count the number of times I checked out her books from the library during my elementary and middle school years. Now into adulthood, Anne of Green Gables still stands as one of my favorites.

There's a quote in the book about this month--October. You've probably read it yourself or seen it floating around somewhere...

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." --L. M. Montgomery

Fall really is my favorite season, but in truth...

October has become a difficult month for me. On October 10, 2011, my grandmother passed away. Exactly one year later, I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer. There is a sense of heaviness that envelopes me during this time.

Tomorrow we will be making a trip to West Virginia to pay our respects to lost loved ones--three grandparents, one uncle, and my dad. It has become our yearly tradition to travel there on or around October 10. We'll go to place flowers on their graves and remember those glorious days when they were still with us.

The leaves will already be turning a vivid array of colors throughout the mountains. October truly is beautiful there, but it is also dressed with a sense of sadness. Some of the leaves will already have withered and fallen. Our little corner of the world is preparing itself for winter and its impending arrival in undeniable. There will be mourning tomorrow standing beside a cold tombstone--aching for my dad. He was only in his fifties when he passed away, but...

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." --Ecclesiastes 3:1

It was his season. His story was not one of an earthly healing, but of a heavenly one. He passed away on a dreary October day. Even so..."I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." You see...

October does hold a sense of sadness for me, but it also holds much promise.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." --Psalm 147:3

The leaves will fall and winter will always come, but God is the source of my strength. He will continue to sustain me with an undeniable sense of peace.

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Daddy loved the fall months and the beginning of the holiday season. He'd sit and watch the football games or recline in his favorite chair with the dog and a good book. If I look hard enough, my mind's eye can still see him sitting there thumbing through the pages of his latest literary find. Yes, "I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." I'm grateful for the memories and the promise that the month holds year after year.

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Thank you for letting me share a little piece of my heart with you today. Whatever October means to you, enjoy this little printable that I made just for you. Save, print, and display it. Let it remind you to always fill your heart with gratitude and joy no matter what the month may hold.

October Printable

Happy October!