AUTUMN OBSERVATIONS

Today is another beautiful Autumn day. I really enjoy these days of bright sunshine and cool, crisp temperatures, days in which a sweater is all that’s needed and boots are comfortable.

I’ve learned after 62 Autumn seasons, to enjoy these days because they are fleeting. Even the plants rejoice in the days of Fall. The leaves explode in colors of red, yellow, and orange.

Only a few weeks ago, the annuals I planted in pots last Spring were weary from the August and September heat and seemed to cry out for relief. Miraculously, in recent days they have revived and are abundant with blooms again. They thrive during the cool nights and relish the sunshine during the day.

The plants either don’t care or seem one bit concerned that their days are numbered. If the threat of change is lingering in the damp soil surrounding their roots, they have simply ignored their fate and continue to put on a proud show of color and scent. Their death by a brutal freeze is imminent yet the green leaves and delicate flowers are not sad. Every day is a gift and they are living up to their potential and continue to bring me joy.

Yes, Autumn is my favorite time of year. And now, especially at my age, I can somehow relate to the Autumn foliage. The greenery, plants, trees, and flowers will soon say good-bye to the prime of their lives. They accept the fact that the short time yet to live is far less than the time they have lived on this earth.

Why not have the attitude of my tenacious potted plants and my hardy rose bushes? Be determined to live each day in glorious and rich color, thriving, and blooming. Have a grateful and loving heart and bring happiness into someone’s life.

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message Bible):

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life -- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life -- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.