The first weekend of October. The calendar says fall began two weeks ago. Solely a technicality of the calendar. Yes, the days are of approximately equal length and the daylight hours are noticeably shortening. But the trees are still green–hardly a hint of even thinking about wearing any color but green. The grass is still growing, the lawn services still thriving, the sound of lawnmowers and blowers still audible in the neighborhood. Government time continues with the return to God’s time still a month away.
This weekend provides more convincing evidence of autumn’s arrival as the temperatures suggest a change in the seasons. The overnight temperatures are descending into the 30s and 40s and the daytime high temperatures cannot escape the 50s. The brisk north wind accentuates the 30 degree difference in comparison to late September days. Sure, slightly warmer days and nights will return, but the tipping point is near.
Two days ago I watched and listened as a gaggle of geese overhead made its way south. Yesterday was our first jacket day–only a few hardy folks hurrying about without jackets, and a few unprepared others still in shorts and short sleeves. Last night I tested the fireplace, enjoying the flames playing above the logs. Not much fire needed–but a small fire removed the chill and warmed not only the body but the spirit and mind.
God’s power and presence is seen in the changing seasons. God’s wisdom balances the world. The northern part of the globe gets ready to rest and rejuvenate while the southern hemisphere prepares for God’s summer bounty and harvest. In my part of the world, the thanksgiving of harvest gives way to the inanimate world of winter–even though we humans have not quite learned the beauty of winter’s respite.
I contemplate these and many other things this morning in the stillness of the early morning, and I am grateful for God’s presence in this world. I am grateful for God’s presence in my life, and for opportunities for service. I am grateful for family and friends.