Autumn
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
It is time for another changing of the season here in Texas. This weekend, the trees are lofting their colorful leaves onto each breath of breeze. This is the time of year that always gives me pause for reflection. Spring has its sense of urgency. Summer is full of activity. Even Winter brings holiday festivities. But Autumn? As Nature’s growth slows and we gather with family for Thanksgiving, Autumn seems to be the time of slowing down, of thinking things over and of assessing our lives and loves.
This week I will be giving several programs on writing and storytelling. I find as I prepare for them, I have that Autumn sensibility. I want to encourage people to put their wonderful lives in perspective! I want to read poetry that takes them on a walk down a familiar street. I want to tell stories that they recognize from their own childhood. I want to remind them of friendships that inspire them even now. I want to help them reframe their work situations, their relationships and their desires as part of an amazing, continuing story of their lives.
So, for all of you, here’s one of the poems I will be sharing. I wrote it during another Autumn reflection.
Not the Time
Like students resigned to going back
to school, we know we have to
get on with it. Grudgingly, we leave
behind the smell of cut grass
and the taste of garden tomatoes
in favor of wood smoke and walnuts.
We put off picnics and fishing trips,
unpack blankets and sweaters,
lie in bed mornings to stay warm.
This is not the time of year
to sell the house or buy a boat,
not the time to hunt up an adventure.
No, this is the season of forgiveness
and homecomings and fires
that burn late into the night
giving us time to say all the things
we have been too busy to think of
but suddenly feel the need to say now.
This is not the time… not the time for discontent. Not the time to hold a grudge. Not the time for self indulgence. Instead, Autumn is the time for “forgiveness and homecomings.”
What about you? What is it time to do?
Whatever distances that have developed between you and those you love, I hope the beauty of Autumn will inspire you. As we celebrate the fall colors, let’s each pick up the phone, sit down at the computer and drive over for a visit to say “all those things we have been too busy to think of, but suddenly feel the need to say now.”
If we can do that, our families, our communities, our nation and our world will be a better place to live.
When We Open Our Hearts, Autumn Can Be a Blessing!
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