Happy Fall!
… Or is it “Happy Autumn“?
Neither have beautiful-sounding syllables. But maybe that is on purpose…
And many of us (myself included) consider September 1 the first day of “fall.” And today is just another day.
Or you might be one of the folks that consider Labor Day as the first day of fall. But since that day is also September 1 this year, we’ve already established that.
I’m not sure where you’re at today or what you’re up to, but these days in Chicago have been a beautiful and balmy 70 degrees.
And since we’ve already hit a cold patch of (brrrr!) low 60s, it feels like this week is heading into a warmer season.
But, alas. No.
As much as we want to enjoy balmy summer nights, summer has ended. Winter is on its way.
You know what’s coming. Black ice. Chapped lips. A super loud radiator fan. (Okay, that last one might only be me.)
Do I sound like a skeptic? I’m not. I’m a down-to-earth, be-prepared-for-the-worst-while-expecting-the-best realist. I keep an umbrella in my car and a shovel in the trunk always. Does it give off bad weather vibes? Yes. But so far neither of my kids have complained about using the umbrella during a sudden downpour.
Whether you are a planner like me or you ignore the calendar and hang on to the good until it’s gone, one thing is for certain: the season between summer and winter is bright and loud. And can’t be ignored.
When Something is Gone, it’s Noticed
Leaves turn from green to yellow or vivid orange or muddy brown. But they change. Shades of green might be overlooked, but the change in deciduous trees is super obvious.
Those same leaves, once they fall and lose their moisture, dry up. And crunch under our feet. And blow into our yard. (Why they never blow out of the yard, I have no idea.) And wet leaves … oh boy. Banana peels have no contest while slipping and sliding on wet autumn leaves!
Spring might sneak in. Those tulips might spout and be gone in two weeks if you aren’t quick enough to notice. A newborn baby will grow every day until he’s four months old and a wiggly, attentive little person and you’ll wonder where the time had gone.
But the end of something sweet? That hits hard.
When sin entered the world, shame and guilt splattered on Adam and Eve with an undeniable stain they couldn’t bear to look up and face their Lord God.
When we’re suddenly out of work, the loss of purpose, the quickly dwindling bank account, becomes a black hole, consuming all of our thoughts that it’s hard to remember what it was like to spend money without thinking about it, of showing up at work with a off-the-shelf crease we forgot to iron out.
When a person is taken from this life too early, it rocks us. We get struck by the reality of something so final, we feel glued to the spot for a long moment. For a time, it feels like we can never get unstuck. Eventually we do, but even then we have a weight around us we will never be able to fully shake off.
Loss Affects Us … Physically
Pick any misfortune that has ever happened to you and I will guarantee your stomach will be in knots at the memory. Your pulse might even quicken, your hands clench, your breath comes a little faster. The skin on your forehead will scrunch up and a headache might come on with the increased strain.
And I wonder, although God never put sin or suffering or death in His design on the seven days of creation, if He gives these life-changing moments an emotional trigger so that we will take notice.
The seed that falls to the ground sprouts many seeds.
Silence becomes so deafening we need to speak out.
The void needs to be filled, seats taken, positions granted.
What is your autumn? And how have you responded to the undeniable color in the sky, the crunch under your feet? Most importantly, how has your autumn prepared you for what is to come?
Like what you've read? I'm also on Facebook and Twitter!
