Sean Murphy

Such a fine time of year to be living in the South.

The weather is cooling off during the night, warming under the afternoon sun.

The leaves crackle under your steps, signaling the end of yet another of nature’s cycles.

Santa Claus no doubt is working overtime on the North Pole. When the calendar hits November, the elves suddenly find themselves on 24-hour shifts.

It’s a time of family and friendship, where all petty arguments from the previous year are washed away in the spirit of the season.

It’s also a time to give thanks for everything we have, all the splendors of life we enjoy. It’s a time to hug a little tighter and laugh a little louder. It’s a time to treasure all the moments we share together.

In an instant, life can change so drastically.

Alexis, a wide-eyed 5-year-old bundle of energy who is my niece, is home now, a week after stumbling into a blazing backyard fire pit. Burns cover her hand and arm.

Doctors performed surgery on Tuesday. Her recovery time is unknown.

I often look at the way children are protected from all things harmful in the prism of my own life.

I learned that the two side-by-side holes in the wall are dangerous when placing a Phillips-head screwdriver into them. Pulling the TV on your head as a youngster was just part of the deal.

“Bet he won’t do that again,” parents said.

We rode in the back of pickups with no thought of a helmet or the dangers that exist while riding in the back of that truck.

Times have changed for children of this generation. Power outlets are plugged with plastic protectors and televisions no longer sit on TV trays. Some say children should stay in car seats until they are teenagers.

While some of the measures parents take to protect their children from every harm imaginable seem a little overkill, it only takes one stumble of a beautiful 5-year-old girl into a fire pit to make anyone rethink life.

Like the falling dead leaves, and the regeneration that will follow, little Alex will heal and life will return to her arm.

Things exist large and small to give thanks for, especially at this time of year. So when you get together for the holidays, hug a bit tighter and smile broader.

Enjoy the magic that comes with this time of year.

Enjoy this season like you never have before.

It all can change so quickly.

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Sean P. Murphy is Web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com.