Autumn's First Day

It's official. The autumnal equinox has arrived. The point when there is no turning back to summer, no frolic time, but real fall, can't deny it. We have had warm weather most of September in this part of the world. We have sweated and broiled and convinced ourselves that summer is still with us. But that thinking is over. We now know that fall is upon us and winter is not far away. There is a bite in the air and a catch in the back of our throats. We balk and revel at the change simultaneously, knowing full well winter awaits and there is nothing we can do about. Hoping it will go away will not change the forward movement of the tides and seasons. They are not in our control.

I knew a sweet man who loved the onset of autumn and felt sorrow when spring came. I would ask him why and he would say that when fall came he knew what to do, but spring reminded him of how fleeting youth is and how fragile life truly is. My father in law died in early 1985, but whenever autumn arrives, I think of him and his feelings for the seasons. He was clearly able to express his melancholy and confusion and, among so many other things that made him very dear,I loved him especially for that. He admitted to his need for control and his anxiety when there was none to have.

So, welcome to fall. Time to move inside, to watch the flowers fade, to ponder the challenges of winter and to prepare for the weather and holidays to come. May this be a season of honesty for us all. A time when we have the strength to admit our losses, our isolation, and our sense of the frailty of our human existence. And may we find comfort in the loving arms of a vastly loving Creator, who in the diversity and complexity of seasons, gives us an understanding of our complete dependence on God and our complete interdependence with one another and all creation.