It is officially fall and seems to be the time of year that so many people find extra beauty in their surroundings as the world changes colors and the energy shifts.

A week ago I had an opportunity to spend a weekend in northern New Jersey with my brother doing a 50 mile trail run. It gave us the opportunity to see some of those first leaves of many different colors falling and drifting to the ground.

The scent of apple cider, pumpkin everything, and fall festivals celebrating the harvest, Halloween, and football suggest that it is quite a special time of year.

I'd like to suggest that each colorful leaf we see this month brings to mind a thought of gratitude. To celebrate what has happened this year, what's happening today, and what we are looking forward to in the future.

One leaf is beautiful, but the colors coming together through many different leaves, like our lives, creates the beauty and our uniqueness that we share.