Memories of Autumns past
Again I am sitting at my desk in the bay window of my study, watching the neighbourhood.
The house across High Street from the rectory is a beehive of activity as the people who have bought it are making the changes necessary to make it their home.
The kids across St. James’ Lane are doing their best to help their mother with the leaves – she’s raking and they’re jumping into the pile.
Life in our little corner of creation is ticking along.
I remember as a child how on nippy days like these we loved to go outside and play. We would rake the leaves into piles and jump into them, never sure if we would find another kid under the leaves when we landed.
Back in those days we were allowed – well, our parents were allowed to burn the leaves on the curbside of the road. The smell of burning leaves is one that takes me back to my childhood. Sometimes when Mum wasn’t looking we would gather a handful of chestnuts and throw them into the fire waiting for the inevitable explosion. The joy we got from watching her jump from such a loud “bang” was great. Little did we know that she had seen us throw the chestnuts into the fire and the loud “bang” was nothing more than an almost loud “pop!”
If we weren’t jumping into the piles of leaves, my friends and I loved to go “shushing” through the leaves that had filled the ditches. The sound gave me the feeling of comfort.
Another autumn season is upon us. Many of us are doing our utmost to get our bodies acclimatized to the cooler temperatures that have come our way over the past few days.
Some have been complaining about how cold it is. Others I have heard mumbling about how they have to scrape the frost from the windshields of their vehicles. I think perhaps the exceedingly hot summer has made us a bit softer. Some are longing for the days of warmth again.
I am quite happy with the season that God has given us. It reminds me of the cycle of life. I see the leaves of the trees die, dry up and drop off. I see beautiful plants struck down by killing frosts. The earth is settling into hibernation where new energy is being found by the plants and other things that are calling it quits for the winter.
It is coming to the time of year when even the humans hunker down and wait for renewed energy to go out into the world refreshed and rested.
In the story of creation we don’t read about the creation of seasons, but I’m fairly sure it might go something like this. . . and God created the cooler temperatures to remind all the creatures of the need for rejuvenation and rest – God called the season autumn, and it was good!
Cheers,
Sue+
Rev. Sue McCullough
Anglican Parish of Morrisburg, Iroquois & Riverside Heights
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