The seasons are changing. I can see it in the changes of the
soybean fields from their deep summer green to the almost sunflower yellow that
is shown now. Soon, they will look like so many sticks lined up in the fields.
The corn’s long leaves of green tapered points are drying into their russet
gold. The squirrels seem to be extra busy gathering nuts for the winter,
hauling them across the still summer warmed ground to whatever hiding hole they
might be using. Somewhere north of here, the eagles are preparing their
strength to fly south, marking their seasonal route down the Mississippi that
will celebrate the arrival of winter here. Every evening, the constellation of
Orion is becoming more and more visible in the sky, arriving earlier to admire
as the Big Dipper slips past the horizon sooner.
It seems we all have our opinion on which season is the
best. I love the cool crispness of fall and the beautiful colors it brings. Others
favor the heat of the summer, the new greenness of spring, or the beautiful
snows of winter. Regardless of the favoring of one season over another, they
pass in succession. It does not merely remain fall because that is my favorite;
just like the summer sun will continue to be farther from the earth, the land
will continue to cool into winter.
As I enjoy this particular season, it is a good reminder to
me to seek out the beauty and good in each period of life. There are times of
harvest, where what has been so carefully tended is now being enjoyed. There
are times of want, when things are lean and difficult decisions are required.
There are times when the world is cold. And there are times when you can share
the warmth of love with the people around you, basking in the glow of their
response. So many more seasons than four pass through our lives, more than the
changing of the orbital position of earth. And yet, like the earth, I choose to
remain fixed on my center axis, on the Son of God.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
