Autumn Reflection

 “The Wild Geese” by Wendell Berry

Horseback on Sunday morning, / harvest over, we taste persimmon
and wild grape, sharp sweet / of summer's end. In time's maze 
over fall fields, we name names / that went west from here, names
that rest on graves. We open / a persimmon seed to find the tree
that stands in promise, / pale, in the seed's marrow.
Geese appear high over us, / pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds / them to their way, clear,
in the ancient faith: what we need / is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be / quiet in heart, and in eye
clear. What we need is here.

Autumn is my favorite season of the year.  The temperature drops.  The air is crisp.  The light is golden.  There is a settling in that I feel in autumn.  It feels cozy and easier to find clarity about any number of things—ways to spend time, what to eat, when to exercise, how to connect with friends and family, and how to renew my spiritual practices.  This season invites deep retrospection and wide possibilities of trying new things.  And so it is at our church. . . .  For the last Sunday in October and the first three Sundays in November, the church is offering a 4 week program after worship called “Spiritual Practices in Times of Drought.”  Everyone is invited to join in these sessions that will help us learn new ways to connect spiritually.  Also, on Sunday, November 2, we will celebrate All Saints Sunday, and everyone is invited to bring photos, keepsakes, and memorabilia that conjure memories of the saints in your life or in the life of the church.  Together, as part of worship, we will build an altar to honor all these saints.

All around us, the world is calling out to our imaginations, inviting us to see and celebrate the sacredness in our midst.  It is a beautiful time of year.  And now, as always, like the poem says, what we need is here.

See you in church,
Christy