The air is different.
Cooler
Scented with readiness…
Waiting
The birds are restless of wing;
Apples hang heavy
As people and days
Move a little faster.
Anticipating the season;
Bringing in the harvest
Preparing to face
The cold gray of winter.
This short burst of color–
This cacophony of bird chatter
And swinging scythes–
Will give way to moaning winds
And skeletal branches reaching out
To empty skies.
Autumn is coming– you can feel it in the air and start to see it on the trees here. It’s coming on to “sweater” weather. Football, the smell of vineyards heavy with grapes and orchards filled with apples and pears. Gardeners and farmers are tripping over pumpkins and squash, and preparing to bring in the corn, wheat, and beans. Squirrels are starting to zip about and look for nuts and seeds to store.
There is a sense of urgency about this time of year– the harvest is ready to bring in; it will not wait for a more convenient moment. Preparations for the coming winter must be completed while the good weather holds.
There is also a sense of completion and evaluation. We look back at the summer with longing–did we make the most of sunny days and delayed sunsets? Did we bring in a bumper crop? And we look forward with a little anxiety– are we ready to weather the biting winds and bleak days ahead?
God has given us seasons– where I live, there are dramatic changes from summer to autumn– in other regions, there are changes from rainy season to dry season. Each change gives us time to pause and notice where we have been and where we are headed.
The same is true in our personal lives– we go through seasons of change. Children grow to adulthood; young parents become empty-nesters (eventually); hectic days at the office give way to days at the doctor’s office; bank accounts and circles of friends grow or shrink.
In every season, we should give thanks– for health, youth, and wisdom, as well as trials that refine us, and discipline that shapes us.
Pursuing Prayer 
Leave a Reply