During the summers when I was a child, I looked forward to
autumn because it meant returning to school, which I loved. New crayons! New
shoes! A new teacher! As I got older, I was surprised to discover that some people
dislike autumn because it feels like it is ushering in winter, the season of
death.
It is true that, as Fr. Ed Hays says so evocatively, “The
whisper of winter and of death is upon the autumn wind.” However, one of the
gifts of aging is that we are better equipped to take the long view. Autumn actually
is a season of new beginnings,
because it is the time when the plants and creatures of earth drift into death
and dwell in darkness, both of which are necessary for rebirth. Year after year
we see that the new beginning triggered by autumn unfolds after six months or
so, when seeds burst into life and trees sprout new leaves. From this perspective,
spring—when new life appears everywhere—actually could be considered a season
of endings, for as soon as birth
occurs, the aging and dying process gets triggered!
No matter our attitude toward autumn, it will inevitably arrive.
Not clinging to the things that need to die will help us accept the season for
what it is—a natural part of life with gifts of its own, if we are willing to
put aside our own desires and accept them.
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