I hate this Fall...

Autumn is an odd time of year.  In a way I kind of feel sorry for Fall.  It’s like Summer’s younger sibling, the screw up who can’t manage to get anything right.  “Your brother was always so warm and sunny.  We had longer days and warm nights to do whatever we pleased.  Our gardens bloomed and grew, we reaped the harvest all season long… and then you showed up.  You came with clouds, and rain.  You brought shorter days, colder nights.  Our gardens are dying, the leaves are falling off the trees, and then there’s the whole clock changing thing...”  Poor Fall.  Sure, there are some people who like the changing leaves, and the cooler weather.  There are even people who like the rain.  But for many, the change in season marks an anti-climactic end to Summer.  Perhaps there is one last trip Labor Day weekend, but that only serves as a reminder that you don’t get any more holidays until Thanksgiving.  For school aged children the freedom of Summer is replaced with the daily rigors of school work and set schedules.  Harvest celebrations let us appreciate the abundance that a warm growing season offers, but after the crops are cut down, and brought in we’re left with a mess to clean up and a barren patch of earth that will grow little more than weeds for the next several months.  It’s a season of change, but perhaps change that isn’t viewed in a positive light.  Autumn is when the world “dies” and sinks into its winter slumber.  Yet, without Fall, there can be no Spring.  Without the cold and dark, we cannot appreciate the warmth and light that follows.  You will never know how high you’ve climbed unless you know where the bottom is. 

Once on month on Communion Sunday we recite the Apostles’ Creed.  In it we are reminded that Jesus

Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried:

He descended into hell:

The third day he rose again from the dead 

Three days of darkness.  Three days marked by death.  Three days leading to new life, redemption and reconciliation.  Three days to help us see a new day dawning and appreciate the warmth of God’s love. 

I’m not going to sugar coat it: this Fall is a rough time for us.  It marks 5 years since we lost my dad.  It sees our pending bankruptcy because of Jasmine’s medical expenses.  It’s a Fall that I thought would be my first semester back in seminary for another Master’s, but instead it’s another Fall with dreams on hold.  This Fall I’m really looking forward to the Spring.