Another Break

We're taking another little break away from the story today since the next part isn't ready yet.  I've got to get up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow to spend a little time with Ella and Drew before they go to school.  Ella's bus comes at 7:00 a.m. and she is only nine years old!!  School doesn't even start until 8:10 a.m.  It's nuts.  She doesn't get home until 4:20 and she has to go to bed at 7:00 in order to get enough sleep for the next day. 

So let's see ... what do we want to think about today?  Maybe that the signs are certainly evident that fall is coming.  Though the leaves remain green on the trees, the flowers are already looking spent and in some cases "leggy."  Slugs and other annoyances have nibbled on the leaves of the hostas and they look weathered and tired.

Nightfall comes earlier and earlier.  We have less daylight every day as we approach the time change which comes in October.  Hidden from our view in many cases, bugs are preparing for the colder temperatures too.  Birds are getting ready to migrate, except for the lazy Canada geese which have unfortunately decided not to migrate so much anymore.  I guess the experts say that we fed them too much and made life too cushy for them here, so they just decided to hang around.

For our pioneers, survival was never a guarantee.  The families that made it prepared.  They prepared meat with salt as a preservative.  They had root vegetables that would keep in a cool place for the winter.  And extremely important, they already had their winter's worth of firewood ready to go before the first snowfall.  For the lady of the house, there was wool to spin into yarn, and lots of darning, sewing and knitting, and if there was enough extra money, some threads for needlepoint and embroidery.  There were candles already dipped and hung and the log cabin was as winterized as it could get.

The gun was clean and oiled and ready in case a bear showed up, or a wolf or coyote.

Even though the change of seasons isn't as dramatic as it was in pioneer days, there is still something comforting about going through the motions of getting ready for another fall and winter.  At our house, we will split wood for our downstairs wood burner.  We parboiled and froze peaches for pies and shortcake.  We made jars of preserves.  Soon, we'll be putting away the outdoor furniture and I'll take apart the flowerpots for another year. 

With each season, there are ways that we prepare for them in the church.  For winter, we have Advent.  In spring, we have Lent and these also accompany the biggest changes in weather.   With each season we should take time to thank God for everything and for being there for us.  We should clean house in our souls, doing a little soul searching, and reflect on the good and the bad.  For our children, we should embrace every moment where we can teach them a little more about God, not only through the usual means of learning, but also by allowing them to see US reflect the love of God by loving others.

So as the nights get a little colder, the days a little shorter, and the trees start changing to orange, crimson and yellow, let us think about changing too.  Let's be a little more loving, more giving, and more understanding.