 “The Little Works of Francis of Assisi", published in Antwerp at the press of Balthasar Moretus, 1623 🌿 Saint Francis’s Reflection on the Our Father (Translated by Paschal Robinson, 1905) Our Father most holy, Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, Who art in heaven-- in the angels and in the saints-- illuminating them with knowledge, for You are Light; inflaming them with love, for You are Love; dwelling in them and filling them with blessedness, for You are the highest Good, the eternal Good, from whom comes all good, and without whom there is no good. Hallowed be Your Name. May the knowledge of You shine within us, that we may know the breadth of Your blessings, the length of Your promises, the height of Your majesty, and the depth of Your judgments. Your Kingdom come. Reign within us by grace and bring us to Your Kingdom, where there is the clear vision of You, the perfect love of You, the blessed company of You, the eternal enjoyment of You. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May we love You with all our heart—by always thinking of You; with all our soul—by always desiring You; with all our mind—by directing all our intentions to You and seeking Your honor in all things; and with all our strength—by giving every power of body and soul in service to Your love, and nothing else. May we love our neighbors as ourselves, drawing all to Your love, rejoicing in others’ good as in our own, and bearing their burdens with compassion. Give us this day our daily bread-- through memory, understanding, and reverence for the love which He had for us, and for all He said, did, and suffered for us: Your Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive us our trespasses, through Your ineffable mercy, in virtue of the Passion of Your Beloved Son, and through the merits and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all Your elect. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And what we do not fully forgive, do You, O Lord, make us fully forgive-- that for Your sake we may truly love our enemies, and devoutly intercede for them with You; that we may render no evil for evil, but strive to do good to all in You. Lead us not into temptation, hidden or visible, sudden or continuous; but deliver us from evil, past, present, and to come. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. A blessed Saint Francis Feast Day! Isn't that a beautiful meditation from The Prayers and Praises of St. Francis of Assisi? May the peace of God and his servant Francis to fill your heart. 
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 L’automne est le vrai printemps, celui de l’âme. -- François-René de Chateaubriand “Autumn is the true spring, the spring of the soul.”
I’ve always felt it so, even when I was young. To me, autumn is like a warm, wonderful hug even as the air grows cooler. In Texas, the season heralds a time of comfortable outdoor living, which means a great deal to me. Elsewhere, it arrives more boldly, in a blaze of red and gold, with fresh, bracing air and rains that wash the earth and spirit clean. And then there’s the harvest, the earth yielding its bounty for our sustenance and delight. The rituals of gathering and preparing are good for us, grounding and nourishing. The yield, too, is brilliant with color and texture. Do you love pumpkins? I do. And still, we add our own touches to the season. It is easy—righteous, too—to be critical of humankind. We have wrought such damage to creation and one another. But there is good in us even in our brokenness, and it is right to rejoice in the gifts God has given. Hot cocoa, for instance--is it not a gift from God? Certainly, it exists because of Him. And so do all things of coziness and spice, pumpkins and chrysanthemums, apples sweet and crisp--in pies, pastries, and cider. Leaves swirling in the cool, persistent wind. Children and puppies pouncing onto heaps of red and gold. A hearty stew simmering on the stove or roast fowl fragrant and golden in the oven. Soft, pretty clothing--cozy knits, hats, and gloves. Harvest festivals. Family tables. Gatherings of love and joy. As Ann of Green Gables said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”.  Her şeyi kontrol edemeyeceğini kendine hatırlat. * Remind yourself that you can’t control EVERYTHING. When I noticed the little tag attached to the tea bag, I almost choked on the Turkish apple tea I was enjoying. It was hardly my original intention for my first blog post in months, maybe even a year. But wow. It pretty much sums up what I’ve wrestled with the past few years. I'm absolutely sure I'm not the only one. In my case, from realizing that surgeries don’t always go as planned to recovery/physical therapy being simultaneously a blessing and struggle to wanting EVERYONE I love to be happy ALL of the time, I’ve had to repeatedly step or sit back and remind myself: Not everything is up to me. Not everything even has anything to do with me, nor is it my business. I have limits and limitations and so does everyone else. No one has ever accused me of being a control freak, but honestly? I've wanted things to go exactly the way I, in my infinite wisdom--ahem--think they should. In other words, consciously or unconsciously, and certainly with everyone's best interests at heart, I more or less want to control everything. Of course, I can’t, and neither can you--and for that, we should be very grateful. Which brings me to my real goal for today's post: chatting about the seasons. I can’t control the weather, but I can certainly appreciate when it’s great. Autumn in southeast Texas starts hot and oh-so-gradually grows cooler. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the light softens to gold, days grow shorter, and the air loosens its grip. Stifling humidity eventually yields to drier air and cool, refreshing breezes. It's the best time of year to garden, even more so than spring, which heats up fast. So, when does autumn begin? With the equinox? This year it falls on September 22. That's if we follow the astronomical calendar, which is based on the earth’s rotation around the sun and is divided into two equinoxes (spring and autumn) and two solstices (winter and summer). Around here, that timing feels right--September is often sweltering before the first whisper of change. The meteorological calendar, on the other hand, gives us a different kind of rhythm. Based on traditional weather patterns and the Gregorian calendar, it separates the twelve months into four seasons: Spring: March, April, May Summer: June, July, August Autumn: September, October, November Winter: December, January, February Not only does the meteorological calendar simplify things. It gives us more time to enjoy fall, which otherwise can feel squashed between the autumnal equinox and the Christmas season. I've already taken baby steps towards fall décor (pumpkin here, garden mums there). What can I say? It’s my favorite time of year. Even if it’s still hot—something I cannot control—I can still enjoy the season. That part’s up to me. After a long writing pause, I'm grateful to be back. The sequel to Tremors Through Time is humming with life, and I plan to launch my newsletter this fall. I've refreshed my website, too--consider this a warm welcome back to a space of reflection and invitation. Do you plan to decorate? To sow seeds? Are you ready for the colors and foods of autumn? Is there something you'd like to let go of this season? Wishing you a beautiful fall! By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer. Helen Hunt Jackson, *September*  |
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