I have always loved the seasons for the change that they bring. My northern friends think that the Deep South doesn’t really have a change in seasons. As I write this article it is a very chilly 32° F. I am inclined to disagree with my friends because this is very much a change from the dog days of August.

As life moves on for me I tend to think about changes of all kinds a bit more. It wasn’t really just the temperature that changed in the past week. Monday was a day of violent storms, dark angry clouds, and driving rains. Monday night was a dark night with a sky filled with brilliant stars.

The green landscape that so dominates our landscape seemingly turns to brown overnight. The leaves turn color and then fall without much time in between.

Politically, we have seen much change in the past couple of weeks. Georgia will send 5 new congressmen to Washington this year. Nationally, the Republicans rode something of a wave and took control of the Senate. They campaigned on changing Washington.  Will it happen? We’ll see.

Football season has certainly brought some changes in the past week or so, particularly if you are an Auburn fan. We had a wonderful time tailgating with Georgia and Auburn fans this past Saturday. I guess I should have stayed at the tailgate as Georgia whipped Auburn bad. It wasn’t fun.

In the space of a month, Auburn has gone from being the third ranked team in the land to being embarrassed in Athens. Of course, in the same month Georgia went from calling for Mark Richt’s head after the Florida loss to being in the hunt for the SEC East again.

Change is around us all the time in ways we may or may not notice. Climate change is back in the news with China and the United States agreeing to limit carbon emissions. As usual, politicians were immediately for or against the pact most likely without even knowing the details. In that regard, nothing changes.

Another change happening right now is the type of music we hear in public places. The old rule that the Christmas season doesn’t start until the day after Thanksgiving is long gone. It isn’t uncommon to see decorations and hear carols in October now. Before you know it, Halloween and Christmas decorations will be taken down and put up in the same day.

The way we shop for Christmas will continue to change. Last year was the first that most of our gifts were bought online. This year, there are new apps that will tell you where to go to get the best price on any item. That may help you save money, but it seems that it could take all the fun out of shopping for that perfect gift.

Then there was the last thing I saw before the sun went down yesterday. Driving into the sunset, I looked over to see a new born calf, jumping up and instantly going to its mother. Instinctively, he knew just where to go. Life is full of changes but beautiful nevertheless.