The leaves, they fall so effortlessly, these first harbingers of autumn.
It seems too soon, but then, it is always that way: the green, green of summer,
and the yellow leaves that make their debut, floating on the August breeze.
I watch the leaves fall to the ground…
It is mesmerizing to watch them descend, one by one, little flurries now and then,
all that gold caught up in the summer light.
I am not a painter, but if it were so, I would paint these shimmering leaves,
set against the deep blue ocean of an August sky…
It is always exquisite, this dance of the seasons, the leaves that cling to the trees,
and the leaves that let go.
It is hard, the letting go, but the dance itself is so beautiful.
Of all the months of all the year, September is the best of teachers.
The lessons are etched upon our hearts, but we need a yearly reminder…
The falling leaves teach us grace, and to measure our days with wonder.
The Japanese word, komorebi, is a word used to describe ‘sunlight filtering through trees.’ It is a lovely thing to see when you are walking in the woods. The floor is a carpet of leaves, and twigs, and broken tree branches. The light is scattered through the branches and the woods becomes a place of light and shadows.
An End to Summer…
It always seems like summer ends too quickly…This summer we have had some really hot weather, so most people are looking forward to Autumn. The signs are certainly here! For some time already, the wind stirs, and yellow leaves are falling everywhere. My house is surrounded by trees, so the telltale signs of autumn are unmistakable. It is not officially autumn for a few weeks yet, but fall is upon us…
I feel blessed to have seen my grandchildren get on and off their buses for the first week of school. I was there as my granddaughters boarded the bus on the first day of school, and there to see one of my grandsons get off the bus.
If ever there was a signal to show the change of seasons from summer to fall, it is a bright yellow school bus! My grandson, Henry, was off on the school bus for the very first time as a kindergartner. My granddaughter, Emily, was off to school as a first-time kindergartner as well.
The world changes, and the seasons change, but some things do not change so much. Seeing the little ones off on the bus the first day of school, brought back memories of my children’s childhood, and my own childhood as well.
The first day of school is certainly a day to pull at your heartstrings! A kindergartner is off to a world of new adventures. Still, everyone concerned is caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. You want to hold on, and you want to let go. How true is this for so many things in life!
At the end of the day, all of my grandchildren had a great day, kindergartners included. They were anxious to go back to school the next day, new friends to meet, new things to learn.
My one grandson, Henry, always says, “It was a learning time.” If we ask about lunch or recess, he simply says, “Yes, it was good, and then we had a learning time.”
He is so very young, and yet, he understands the shifts in the day, the time for play, and the time for getting serious about things that need to be done. He knows there is much to learn about life and the world around him. He is super-excited to learn new things!
Every season of our lives offers new opportunities. Often, changes may pull at our heartstrings. Still, if we look at life as a beautiful dance with the eagerness of a kindergartner, how blessed we will be.
There will be missteps. We will sometimes be afraid of taking the next step. Our little granddaughter, Emily, took those big first steps up onto the bus, and she was not as thrilled as we may have hoped. By the time the day was over, she was so very happy! She took that leap of faith to try something new, and that unknown world of kindergarten turned out to be great.
It is hard to take those first steps into an unknown future. Wherever we are in life, we can still keep taking those steps forward to where we want to be…It is not for us to know everything before we get there!!! God has given us this beautiful dance to live. With prayer and with God’s help, we climb our own set of stairs, each and every day.
We know that we do not walk alone. God is there with us for every step, and he rides with us on the ‘big yellow school bus of life.’ The road meanders, there are highs and lows, hills and valleys. It might be bumpy at times, but there is much to see out of the window of that bus. As Henry would so clearly tell us, “Enjoy the ride, make sure you have your snack packed, and who knows what might happen?” It is a learning time, a time to discover new things, a time to begin again…
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…”
Beautiful, Linda. I’m done with summer, but encroaching darkness has scootched my early walk until 45 minutes later already.
Thank you! I am ready now for fall as well. I do love the change of seasons…time for the pumpkin spice coffee! 🙂
“It was a learning time.” How adorable. I’d like to have at least one of those every day. Your poem is beautiful, Linda, and your reflections on the grandchildren going off to school with all the excitement of friends and learning brings back memories. I love autumn and all the beauty and change it ushers in. Enjoy.
When children say things from the heart, it really sticks with us! So much wisdom is often uttered from the mouths of the little ones. We teach children a great deal, but we certainly learn from them as well. 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
<3
“We know that we do not walk alone. ”
What a comfort and encouragement. No matter the season…good, great or really hard…The “I will never leave you or forsake you” promise is there for those who walk with God.
We have a few leaves trying to rush autumn…I had a talk with them
You need to have a talk with our leaves! We had a dry spell and then that is all it took. Now, the rain has returned. Yes! God is with us in every season of our lives…
seasonal changes and adventuring off into the great unknown, great illustration!
we have no such dramatic seasonal changes in my temperate zone, and I’ve always been keen to explore the unknown 🙂 But I’ve watched the debate, the fear of too many as the unknown looms … embracing that and moving forward does take courage
The future is always a ‘great unknown’. In that respect, we must be brave. I do place my trust in God, as He is the best navigator. I have found that with trust in Him, the ways become clearer. Still, change is hard. Faced with the unknown, there is prayer and the promises of God. When we hold fast to these, there is nothing that is impossible. It is the world that teaches that nothing is possible, but, ‘With God all things are possible.'(Matthew 19:26) We cannot change the world, but we can hold to God’s peace. This is a peace that cannot disappoint…not now, not ever.
“The falling leaves teach us grace, and to measure our days with wonder.”
Linda – September is my favourite month for I feel that I am going back to school. And in many ways, I am. Each year, it a reminder that we must measure our days with wonder, gracefully accepting that our days are numbered.
By the way, would you give me permission to recite your poem? Let me know!
You certainly can recite my poem! You have such a beautiful voice, and I have enjoyed so many of your readings. September is an awesome month, full of new beginnings. It is a month that teaches us we must stay ‘young at heart’. It is the secret to living well!
Many, many thanks Linda!!!
Such a beautiful reminder that God walks with us in every season. 🙌♥️
Yes! It is a great comfort that God is with us with every breath we take. Sometimes, we forget what great peace has been given to us. The Bible tells us not to worry, and yet, we do. I often think of the hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus”. We must take all things, “to the Lord in prayer.” Only then, is there any peace at all.
I love the changes of seasons. Here in Texas we don’t see much of that. Hot & cold. But, yes, the kids going back to school helps to mark the time for us all. Beautiful pictures. God’s grip – Alan
Autumn is a time to take pictures! I have never been to Texas, but I hope to one day. Every state offers something different with its own beauty.
Loved your poem, and loved the message of this sweet post even more! Just like your precious grandchildren heading off to their first day of school, we all need to be brave as we head into uncharted territory. And the thing that helps the most in those uncertain times is the knowledge that we are never alone, no matter what the situation….God is with us. That helps enormously! I’m so glad all had a good first day, especially the kindergarteners!
Thank you! I never like saying goodbye to summer, but as one season ends, another begins. There is much to celebrate in each season! 🙂
Oh Linda, these are beautiful thoughts, beautiful photos, for this beautiful season! Thank you for this wonderful way to begin the month.
You are welcome! September is a lovely month! It seems to herald inward change in the midst of all the outward change around us. It is awesome to see the greenery of summer transformed into a colorful world of crimson, gold, and tangerine.
We too enjoy those golden leaf-showers, from late summer into early fall (according to the calendar). The 10-day weather forecast includes some chilly mornings that will quickly give way to warm afternoons–sometimes a 30-degree difference! That’s another sign of season-change.
P.S. Our younger son told us a car-service business in his town advertises “Pumpkin Spice Oil Changes” this time of year!😁
We have big temperature changes as well. I think it is time soon for my ‘closet makeover’ when I put my summer things away. These autumn days are truly a ‘breath of fresh air’, after so much heat and humidity. Our squirrels are very busy…It is fun to watch them get ready for winter! 🙂
The first time I saw your post, tears came to my eyes. The title itself reminded me of how quickly sweet times go by.
I read on afterwards, but your words remained at a distance because the sadness in my heart was just too much: in a few weeks, our oldest two would return to college for their fall semesters, and a little bit of colour would go out of life…
From that first reading, days have passed. Through other blog posts, I kept seeing the words, September is a season of new beginnings. Honestly, September has never before been that for me. It’s always just been the month where it’s 4 months from Christmas and another month of work to get through – but never about beginnings. Eyes of my heart now opened to alertness, I am sensing a shifting. A change beyond what most of the world sees and knows. I feel as if, as happy as we are, we are on the cusp of some deep joy.
Today, returning to your post, I see what my earlier sadness misted over and which I did not see then – that you too have written about beginnings and about starting afresh, banners of September. That even as the leaves fall to signal the end of a season, another one is stirring to life.
Stirring to bring joy.
I can understand your feelings of sadness. Often, in life, we can be both sad and happy at the same time. At some of the most ‘earth-shattering’ moments in my life, I was incredibly happy to start a new season, and sad to leave what I left behind. In that way, our tears are a very good thing. We must acknowledge what we have lost. We are ‘called’ throughout our lives to new endeavors. Our children grow up and things do change. In the midst of that, beautiful changes unfold…our families ‘grow’ with the changes. The trees stretch out their branches and seemingly hold the sky. We must stretch out our arms and embrace each new season…The tears remind us that we have loved very deeply and that itself is a thing of great joy.
“komorebi” It is so nice to know that someone has put a word to one of the things I enjoy most about walking in the woods. I love the profoundness of young Henry’s words- “we had a learning time.”
It is a beautiful thing to see the sunlight filtering through the trees. It does make you pause and think about what really matters in life. Henry’s words spoke to me because he was so earnest. He is captivated by the idea of ‘learning’, the idea of thinking new thoughts. Children have such wonderful imaginations. They are open to this great big world of opportunities in their midst. As we grow older, we must grasp that ‘flickering light’ of the imagination and keep learning new things as well. The world is really only so small as we make it.
Such beautiful takeaways – &
‘We are not alone…’
Thank you 🙏🏼
Wishing you blessings in this season! 🙂
I just loved your exquisite meditation on late August transitioning into early September. It is such a poignant and wistful time of year. I love young Henry’s “It was a learning time.” Words for all of us to live by!!
It is a special season! I always look forward to the Fall fairs…The grandchildren bring so much joy! We do learn so much from them about living life in the moment. 🙂
Beautiful verse & photos, Linda. And I enjoyed hearing about your grandkids. Happy Autumn, my friend. 🙂
Thank you! I wish you Autumn blessings…It is the season that teaches us to embrace change, to celebrate the moment that is now, and to let go of the things that hold us back. I do love the autumnal world, full of color, full of wonder. 🙂