Autumn: A Season Of Change
Fall is such a unique and hopeful season. Fall is a time of transformation and letting go. Fall can open our eyes to the impermanence of people and things surrounding us. If you have never taken a drive through the Mountains during “Autumn Foliage” or simply “Foliage” in American English, then you should add it to your bucket list! As you experience the change in the air you can shift your perspective and breathe in possibility beyond your wildest imagination.
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normal green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the Autumn season, various shades of red, yellow, purple, black, blue, magenta, and brown. The changing of colors is vital to the growth of the leaf.
There are so many reasons why Fall is my favorite time of Year! You can literally smell new beginnings and fresh start in the air. I am thankful for the children that Fall gave me. I am thankful for the husband that Fall gave me, although my Anniversary is in the Spring. I love the fresh air and vibrant colors that show the creativity of my creator.
This product of nature changes from vibrant and full of life to cold, brittle and detached from its source of nutrient in just a matter of weeks. Then after some Months, the process starts again. It’s an ever-evolving cycle, just like our lives. I find myself wondering if we make our season more excruciating because we can’t trust God and His process of growth.
Fall also brought grief into my life. Fall stripped me from what was safe. Fall left me broken and vulnerable. Where do you go from broken? Can you find hope again? Deeply embedded in this season of tumultuous transition was a small ember of gold burning as if to purge the pain…. That was the hope of what was to come.
There are noticeable cracks and scars but the restoration was a beautiful undoing.
Colors turn from vivid to vague and as you witness the transformation you find that you can patiently wait for your turn. Fall was all about letting go and looking ahead. Fall was just the beginning. The road might be long but the small victories along the way provide such a beautifully imperfect landscape.
After passing through Winter, Spring and Summer there was Fall again ready to greet me.
I wasn’t as afraid to walk the road this time and though the pain was familiar, I could bravely accept the journey and have confidence that God was right beside me. As I watched the leaves cascade from the trees and rest on the ground, I knew how they felt. I knew that as long as I pressed forward and kept my eyes focused on Christ that I would be ok.
I can smile knowing that though the leaves change and though they fall, they are restored after a time of regeneration and reflection. He makes all things new, nature reveals to me that promise. I am not excluded nor has He forgotten me when I am grieving what is out of my control. Fall is a beautiful reminder that when the winds come and the storms rage, we can benefit from that pain it provides. Though we are cracked, hurt and disassembled we can heal. Seasons come and seasons go, they are inevitable. How they shape our future is entirely up to us.
XO -Denisha