Yesterday's rain has seemed to magnify the fact that the season is changing.A cool breeze floats in the window,
a stray yellow leaf blows in the yard,
an orange sunset melts over bales of hay...
It will soon be autumn.
Cinnamon and sassafras and pumpkins...
Clouds of purple and pink
and nights of wine and woolens....
The feel of flannel and the smell of burning leaves....
Thick meaty stew and spicy pies...
Johnathan apples and caramels
and wiener roasts and s'mores....
Yet, with all it's glory and beauty,
autumn is a reminder of things not finished-
and of a year undone,
a signpost that says "time is almost up".
Every plan and dream for the year 2008
must be hurriedly activated
within the next four months.
What happened to the vacation we planned?
Did I even keep a diary?
Have I saved for Christmas?
Have I taken any family photos?
Did I lose weight?
Did I get organized?
Or was I just so naive that I thought the
year would last forever?
And with each page that we peel from the calendar,
we also peel away a layer of life,
a year of our being-
a fruit of our youth.
Each new year certainly brings hope,
but it also brings eventual mortality.
Autumn is coming.
We need to play more, sing more, do more.
We need to laugh, to reach out, to explore, to stretch.
We need to breathe and fly and follow that unknown path.
We need to skip stones and pick wildflowers
and make wishes on stars.
We need to dance, to dare, to deliver on our promises.
Yes, autumn is coming....
Are you ready?
