Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

I have always loved this time of year... When I was a little girl, I used to look forward to raking leaves with my grandpa...the laughter, the jumping into piles and the smell of burning leaves vivid in my memory. I would say the changing colors of the leaves is the one thing I miss the most living here in Naples...Oh, snow on Christmas morning always a child's favorite, but now I much prefer the beautiful soft, white sand of the beaches to that colder, wet white stuff from up north. The majesty of the golden amber, burnt orange and crimson red landscape is now replicated around my home with silk leaves bought at a craft store and pumpkins from the grocery store in a variety of shapes and sizes set atop most of the tables in our home. No matter where you live, this time of year also reminds us of how quickly the days have flown by as we see holiday decorations in all the stores. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, my personal favorite holiday because it focuses on what family and love is all about: Gratitude. No messing up this holiday with gifts and guilt...It's pure, it's perfect...It's just about counting blessings. Right now it is 72 degrees outside and the sun is shining....There are no leaves to rake, but the humidity is low, there's a slight breeze and the palms are lovely and the orchids are blooming (see photo inset)...I was trying to come up with a topic to post on my real estate blog today and this was all I could come up with as I sat at my desk gazing out the window...It's another beautiful day in paradise...and I am blessed.