Reclaiming Autumn
October 3, 2007 by Sarah
Filed under Read These!
As I walked into Lowes’ Hardware last week, I was completely stunned. I felt like I should start belting out a chorus of Silent Night and passing out the egg nog. There was a parade of shiny new Christmas trees reminiscent of the Charlie Brown Christmas. And of course, my three princesses liked the white sparkly one the best.
“Oh, Mommy, we want the white one!”
“We always cut down a fresh Christmas tree, girls.”
“But …but real trees aren’t white.”
“Precisely!”
I love the Christmas season. But I began to feel a little bit cheated out of my favorite season: Autumn. Autumn is all about transition, gradual change, literally unfolding before our eyes.
Yes, it’s about withering, dying back, nature losing it’s glory. It’s a little depressing watching the prolific vegetable garden that fed us all summer produce it’s last juicy tomato. Cutting back the fading flowers that brought the hummingbirds and butterflies.
But Autumn is really about preparing for Spring. Replenishing the soil with nutrients needed for new growth. Retreating under the healing blanket of decaying leaves and snow. It’s beautiful, really. There’s vibrant life under the cover of death, just waiting to burst forth at the appointed time.
So it is with us. As people, women and as mothers. We are constantly in transition. The question is, will we rush through it, ignore the beauty of change? Or will we embrace the retreat, and cultivate the soil, getting ready for the new growth to come?
This summer, as we prepared for Princess to start school for the first time, I was apprehensive. The tension between all the girls was high, and I found myself wishing for the day they would go back to school. When that day came, I realized I had wished away the time, the transition ignoring the process of change before my eyes, until it was past.
Let’s not wish past Autumn. This season, savor the majesty of the colors of change. Take care to replenish the soil of your heart, and seek after the tools necessary to cultivate your new garden in the Spring. When the autumn and winter are past, what will burst forth in your life?
How to reclaim Autumn? Read 7 Practical Ways to Reclaim Autumn With Your Children
Oh, I Soooo agree! I love Christmas, don’t get me wrong, but do we really need to start stocking the shelves in September?? I don’t want to miss the moment we are living in!
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I agree! Autumn is my favorite season and I cannot be bothered with Christmas right now.
Maybe it’s because in NY it is 85 degrees today! And I refuse to put the air conditioner on!
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How true, Autumn does get short-changed. I will work to reclaim it with you!
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