Reflections on Fall

We’re losing sunlight, a little each day. Every night the sun sets a bit earlier. Every day it gets colder. The leaves are dying. Like brown confetti they float down to the frozen earth. The birds are flying south, escaping the coming cold. If any remnants of Summer’s colorful glory are still in bloom, they will soon be little more than memories – and piles of dead, brown petals on the ground. Yes, Fall can appear very dark – if you let it.

But I choose to see Fall differently. I choose to see the longer nights as an excuse for candles, and fireplaces, and tiny, twinkly lights. I choose to see the cold as a chance to wear my favorite boots, and sweaters, and hand-knit scarves. I choose to see the falling leaves in all of their glorious shades of brown, red, and yellow as evidence of an infinitely creative Designer. I choose to see the migrating birds as a chance to anticipate their return next year. I choose to see the fading flowers as a reminder that we all go through seasons.

Yes, I choose to see Fall as beautiful. I’m praying that I will learn to see life the same way I see Fall. I want to be able to see the beauty in the broken, the Designer even in the difficulties, and the hope in spite of the hard moments. After all, even the frozen earth has a future, even the dying flowers have a destiny, and in our own lives there is so much to look forward to!