October 1

L’automne est le vrai printemps, celui de l’âme.
-- François-René de Chateaubriand 
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“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.
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As Ann of Green Gables said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”.