Ah...... Autumn...........

Autumn…

My favorite time of the year.

Autumn shares with us warm days, cool nights, leaves that flutter to the ground, a splendid show of beauty displayed by the trees around us. I envision an autumn day, sitting on a porch, wrapped in an old quilt made by my Grandma, watching the trees shower the ground with a glorious pageantry of color splashed over the waning grass and the cool streams that flow. Each leaf has a journey of its own destination. Some remain for warmth of the ground in the winter months. Some are left for the enjoyment of children. Others experience a trip to an unknown appointment. Small pyramids of leaves stand along roadsides seeking protection from breezes that may carry them away. The warmth of an autumn day can ease the trials of everyday life. A warm day can soothe the soul and renew our spirits. An autumn day can offer us a time for reflection to the life we have and to the ones we wish could be. Autumn promises us days of sunshine filtered by the clouds that glide across the crystal blue skies. Windows reflecting the weakening rays that are trying to remain alive a little longer. Flowers that have burst with colors that hint at their rebirth once again. The plunge into fall becomes an interlude into hushed expectation. The scent of the air becomes fresh and clean. The cool of an autumn night can offer a contentment that relaxes and allows us to take a deep breath of the crisp air. The harvesting of fruits and vegetables from the long summer months of their care. We can hear more clearly the melodies of the birds as we rise to greet the morning sun. As nature retires from its summer of work, so shall we rest comfortably in the arms of those we love.
Those who know me well, know first hand that autumn is my favorite time of the year. We celebrate reunions, homecomings, fall sports, apple cider along with crisp sweet apples (and Mom’s apple salad), walks in the woods, sitting on park benches sharing secrets, looking at the moon on a clear night, seeing a morning sunrise alive with the hues of purple and reds, a sunset with all the shades of orange that God can produce, sitting by a pond and watching the water as it moves by the touch of the wind, trips to destinations that encourage our sense of who we are, sharing the fun of acting silly, and the enjoyment of listening to the stillness of the night.
Have you ever thought of God’s seasons? His seasons are like different chapters in a book that keep the story going. Seasons reflect periods of time in our lives. Autumn has always been an intermission of life when each of us can stop and behold the Glory of the One who created all of this for us to experience and enjoy.
Genesis 1:14 “ And God said, “ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons and for days and years.”
Need I say more? I love Autumn !