Slowly the days are drawing in. There is a new freshness in the air. The geese are taking their practice runs, their honking loud and catching my attention. I can smell the earth, the slow decomposing of summer’s flowers, the fallen leaves. This is the closing time of year – crops are harvested, only the hardy autumn flowers are blooming – a glimpse of autumn crocus, hardy mums, the deep red of sedum. There is a sense of completion. Meanwhile I sense the slow approach of winter.
I love this time of year. If autumn brings pleasure and satisfaction, why do our older years bring dissatisfaction and concern? Just as the earth, we too have our seasons. Our ongoing years can bring difficulties and loss, but they also bring wisdom and experience. We are now “elders”. To quote an unknown writer: “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”
“Let we, who are on the way, hasten home, for all our life is but the journey of a single day.” (Columban)
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