Welcome Autumn

WELCOME TO AUTUMN
At his time of year, it is traditional to write about letting go; the
falling leaves as metaphor for our lives. But for many of us, 2020
has been the year of letting go—of travel plans and coffee with
friends, and in-person celebrations, and church services, and even
to loved ones who were taken by this illness. Perhaps we have
heard enough about letting go for now.

Instead, let’s consider the autumn harvest. My mother had a
wicker cornucopia filled with fake fruits and vegetables that she
always brought out in September as a reminder of abundance and
a call to gratitude. What have you received over these last few
months that might nourish your spirit and draw you closer to the
Creator? Is there anything to be harvested from this upending of
our lives?

These “emptier” days have gifted me with space. Because there
is less going on, I notice more. A friend’s tone of voice that tells me
to stay on the phone a little longer than I had planned. An old
dream bubbles to the surface and I pause to consider whether it
still resonates, or its time has passed. I realize that it is fear that
has kept me from one piece of work and pride that keeps me
holding on to another. And each of these realizations is a fruit of
the Spirit I would have very likely missed had I been moving at my
usual pace.

But now I notice, and I have the time and space to reflect--
which has led to some interesting conversations, largely one-sided,
in my prayer time. Is my busyness in service to the Spirit or habit?
The Spirit or my desire to be admired? The Spirit or a sense that I
need to earn God’s love by doing? These are subtle discernments
that require space and time and quiet and most of all require that
I open myself to what God is saying, rather than what I have
already decided is the best way to proceed.
​
I wonder what you have been noticing. What will you harvest
this autumn?

                                      Holly

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