Thankful for Autumn Leaves.

October has come and the changing season is slowly enveloping the days and nights. You can feel a new crispness in the breeze; the sun seems to slant awkwardly through the thinning trees as brown, yellow, and red leaves spiral down to the path. There is sadness in the falling leaves, for a season has passed and the trees they once filled are empty yet full of grey cloud light and black twigginess.

The leaves are curious to me. I wonder at the intricate shapes, their greens turned to brown, and the paper like dryness of what was once resilient and green.  Walking across the sidewalk I shuffle leaves, some scatter out of my way and others crumple with a crisp crunch.

I am thankful for the leaves blanketing the lawn. They remind me of the progress of time- that summer is over and autumn is mounting the horizon of our lives. The autumn leaves cause me to look forward to dark cold nights and a cozy fire, warm dinners and hot apple cider enjoyed between cold hands. They remind me the season of thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's celebration is coming when we celebrate family, life, and the birth of Christ who came to save sinners.

The leaves remind me of the brevity of our days weeks and seasons. We will not always be occupying our little flimsy corner of this earth. A mortal day is coming when we each will follow the Lords voice to return to our real home. The decay of the leaves remind me that my body is mealy organic but my soul is spirit waiting for release to go home.

The leaves that fall are many, thousands and millions; I will sweep them into bags and set them out for mulch. How many little good acts we walk by scattering them and crunching them without a thought as we hurry on to our important agendas? I wonder if there are not as many as the leaves I pile up by the curb and so resolve to do what good I while the opportunity is still in season.

I am thankful for the many reminders I find in autumn leaves.