The seasons change just as the seasons in your life. Summer has officially drawn to a close: this is when I pause and wonder what’s next. I have always loved autumn and the pleasures that come with it. I love strolling through the leaves surrounded by changing foliage. Autumn to me is like an enchanted forest when the simple pleasures of life can be seen and felt. The marriage of reds, yellows, orangery-browns has a richness that feels sumptuous; a season like no other. The pop of orange is fabulous, it fills a space with energy and vitality. This is the first time in almost two years (since my knee injury) I am able to help with some yard work. Autumn has something for everyone but it transports me back to sweet childhood memories. Whether it was the annual trip to the apple orchard, duck hunting or sitting around an autumn bonfire with family and friends before the winter freeze! Nature lovers can appreciate fall in all her glorious colours. Autumn moves me more than ever: I step outside on a fall evening and feel wrapped in a blanket of God’s loving embrace. The sun hangs like a brilliant red billiard ball, as the wind caresses my face. Ducks winging south in a wrinkled v shape pattern in the sky, their caterwauling and the sounds of their wings beating overhead. I see deer eating cautiously, (sometimes in our front yard), turtles crossing the road to their nesting grounds, and wild turkeys who wander around looking for acorns, berries, snails and worms. Just as the earth experiences spring, then summer, autumn and winter, our own life has cycles as well. The first stage of life is when you are born, you grow and mature. I often hear seniors say, they are in the autumn of their lives. We all understand that growth is riddled with moments of delight, frustration, and sometimes chaos. We battle the winter storms after age 70 when expenses start creeping up because of medical bills, and extra care is ultimately needed for our loved ones. While you wait, trust that God is pruning you as he is making you ready. He is chiselling away what is not needed and preparing you for the next season. God knows exactly where you are on this journey in life. If you’re going through a difficult season, know that God is in the midst and He is listening. I truly believe the beauty of creation can have the ability to open up the heart of man and will nourish his soul. God reveals his glory, wisdom, presence and his creativity, especially in the fall. God is wonderfully evident to me throughout creation and I know he is the artist of it all. Life is full of pain, suffering, drought and wilderness but God is here. God shows his love for us in so many ways. God may not need us but we certainly need him.
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