Autumns Wings
The temperatures around us are once again in transition, and we’re forced to adapt to them. For some, this is a welcome change, and for others, the main concern is simply to not get sick. While many would choose to hang on to summer, as if it were our first love, the arrival of a new season brings a much needed refreshing. Fall has come. Once described as ‘the year’s last, loveliest smile’ by William Cullen Bryant, it often feels exactly like this. Not yet the time for snow or hot chocolate, this season is one marked by falling leaves and the excitement of the approaching holiday season. As children return to school, and academic year is reset, it’s a time for rejuvenation, anticipation and new beginnings.
The seasons of the year, like the seasons of our lives, come and go with little effort on our parts. The beauty and freshness of autumn are marked by a collection of colors - gold, brown, olive and burgundy, reminding us of the experiences of yesterday, while moving towards the unknown of tomorrow. This could be said of any season, but fall carries with it an excitement in it’s colors and temperatures that can be felt deep inside. As young children we felt this change, and embraced it wholeheartedly. But that was then. We’re older now, and settling into adulthood and beyond feels like a well-worn blanket, the days of our childhood trailing further and further behind us.
The older we get, it becomes easier to forget the things that excited and inspired us as children. While the world has changed, we have as well. We’re no longer yesterday’s child, and the older us has been changed in ways that perhaps we don’t even realize. There’s no going back. We could possibly even dare say that we’ve been jaded by the many events we’ve lived through. The feelings associated with the cool weather of autumn are strong, taking us back to the days of innocence, when we and the world around us were younger. These were the simpler days of our childhood, or adolescence, perhaps before 911 changed our nation forever. Whatever these times meant for you, their memories must not be forgotten. You can make new memories and regain a new excitement that will be remembered in the years to come.
Ultimately, fall brings with it a feeling that almost anything is possible. More than that, anything IS possible. It’s our faith that needs to be strengthened and our hope that needs to be reset. Perhaps this fall, which is today, right now, we will allow the Spirit of God to search our hearts, and reveal to us how we can be used. Before the holiday season arrives, we can dedicate the remainder of this year to Him, knowing that He can and will rejuvenate us to be who He wants us to be in the world around us. How powerful it would be to bring this divine purpose and refreshing into our daily lives during this season, moving forward with hearts that are revitalized. Let’s stand in the cool breeze of autumn and listen for the still, small voice of the Spirit to speak to us.
(Originally published in October, 2013 for The Examiner.)
