There are Octobers

October 16, 2025 By Maria

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – Anne Shirley 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

On October 1st, I painted a tiny fall scene. The photo I used for inspiration was taken last year on an autumn road trip to my grandparents’ family vacation farmhouse. “The Farm” as it is referred to by my family, is especially beautiful in the fall. I was so happy I was able to visit last year and give my kids the experience of exploring the Farm, just like I had as a child.

The experience of painting that tiny autumn scene made me think of Anne Shirley, the heroine of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables books. The books take place in the late 19th century on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Anne is a spunky orphan “accidentally” adopted by a pair of elderly siblings, who thought they were adopting a boy to help on their farm. Anne and her passion for life steadily become an inseparable part of their small community. 

The thing that I love most about Anne of Green Gables is her passionate joy for living in the moment. There is a permanence to the joy Anne experiences in life, especially in the small everyday moments. Her thankfulness for October is just one aspect of Anne’s joy and presence. Anne doesn’t do things halfheartedly. If she is going to do something she fully commits to it. In the first book she even floats down the river in an old hole-ridden boat during a reenactment of Tennyson’s poem, “The Lady of Shalott.” The boat trip has a leaky end, but that moment demonstrates her enthusiasm.

Following Anne’s passion for the moment, I painted my autumn scene. It gave me time to pause and appreciate this season. Visiting the Farm last October was a great moment for taking in autumn beauty and slowing down to be in and be present in nature. This autumn I would like to take in the moment like Anne. As our beloved redhead heroine claims, I also am “so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”