Opening Letter: A Season to Return and Remember

by Val White

There’s something about autumn that always feels like a return. Not just to cooler air and cozy routines, but to a slower rhythm — a remembering of what makes life feel whole again. The light softens, the air hums with nostalgia, and suddenly I find myself craving the comfort of familiar rituals: flowers on the table, a candle lit before dinner, the sound of laughter in the kitchen.

Maybe it’s in my blood. My mother’s family — the Yawns — trace their roots back to Germany, and I’ve always felt that old-world sensibility woven quietly into the fabric of my Southern upbringing. A love of hearty meals, of gathering often, of turning even the simplest moment into a celebration. You can see the echoes of those traditions all through the South — in our porch suppers, church potlucks, and the way we still believe in showing love through food.

And so, as Oktoberfest season arrives, I find myself thinking less about beer steins and bratwurst, and more about what those traditions truly honor: connection, abundance, and gratitude. It’s a celebration of community — of raising a glass (or a teacup) to say, we made it through another season, together.

This issue of The Curated Life is my little ode to that spirit — a gathering of recipes, stories, and rituals that invite us all to savor this golden time of year.

So pull up a chair, pour yourself something warm, and let’s toast to the season of roots and returns.

Prost,

Val