“Fall, leaves fall; die, flowers, away; lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me. Fluttering from the autumn tree” —Emily Bronte, Fall, Leaves, Fall
I took this tonight and had to save it with dozens of other sunsets I have taken. I never get tired of them.
How do you feel about the fall season? Some are invigorated and happy with the cooler weather. Others feel an uncomfortable nagging feeling of sadness. Is it that plants and grasses are dying and soon the landscape will be bare and brown? The cold is approaching and for me there is an expectation of warm blankets, cozy slippers and hibernating with good books. There is a wonderful warmth that greets you when you come in from picking up groceries, shoveling your car out of a drift or taking a walk in the white beauty of a new snowfall.
For some, fall signals the onset of Season Affective Disorder or SAD. My mother always said the fall made her sad and I didn’t quite understand until I got older. I get it now—in some ways we are more alone, more shut in as winter sets in. We really tasted the stark aloneness during the pandemic. I’m privileged to live where I can find others to talk to, play games with, if I choose. But it is good to know that if I need help, there are neighbors who would come if I called.
So as we lean into fall, I pray you find the peace in the beauty of the land, and are invigorated by coolness and the beginning of a new season. Don’t shut yourself in. Find things that are fun and that keep you engaging with other people.
I thought a lot about Valentine’s Day when I got up this morning. Mostly about grade school valentine boxes that were placed in the front of the room for all our valentines. At some later class we made our own. I didn’t like that because there it sat on your desk–waiting for someone to drop in a valentine–in front of everyone. It was sad for some who received only a few.
I always took vs enough for my whole class as my mother advised. It was agonizing to find just the right ones for some of my class–not too mushy–funny if possible for the boys.
As a teenager I hoped for a heart-shaped box of candy–a special sign of love. When I did receive one, I hid it from my mother for fear of her objections. I was not allowed to date yet.
Over the years, V Day meant different things at different times. My husband and I had little money to spare–but he never forgot–he often stopped on the way home from work at a local drugstore and found his valentine for me. A couple times, he wrote his own, and I’m happy to have saved them. I received flowers on my 10th anniversary and once on V Day when I was out of town working. Memories I will always cherish.
In our later years I was encouraged to buy what pleased me. “If you want flowers, we’ll get them.” But I’ll never forget the love in those handwritten lines.
There is so much hype over this day. I wonder how many people are sad, grieving, or heavy-hearted today. I wish all the love in the world to reach each of them. Turn the day around and give love to others. Maybe you should call your friend, your family member, that person at church who always seems alone. It may mean a lot to one person and there is much joy in the giving of joy.
Connie's Comments and Verse 