To me, a year is a twelve chapter book with four distinct sections. Each section a season, brimming with unique pros and cons.
Spring stretches and yawns as the year begins with quiet thawing, sowing, and planting.
Summer heralds vibrant growth
and increasing energy that brims over into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Summer escalates to dizzying heights, but is unable to remain at such a peak.
Though it resists, summer yields under time’s heavy pull as fall slowly takes over. Fall insists that sunlight diminish, heat dissipate, and everything calm down.
Fall is the time for gathering.
Signs of gathering surround us as we walk through the days of September.
School bells ring and children gather in classrooms to begin another exciting year of learning.
Geese fill the skies with their “V” formations.
Squirrels dart and dash, hoarding nuts in preparation of the final chapters of the year.
Bushels of juicy red apples wait their transformation into cider, pies, or a delightful caramel-covered treat.
Baled hay pauses for its assignment: to line hay lofts, circle campfires, or become the structure of intriguing mazes.
Will pumpkins plunked on flatbed trucks be carved into glowing faces or be baked into delicious pies?
Sweaters and flannels are pulled out of storage, adding layers of comfort against the increasing chill.
Fall might trigger a heavy sigh from many, especially when shortened daylight, fading flowers, and leafless trees herald the official conclusion of summer.
But early nightfall nudges friends and families together for indoor games, food, and fun.
Fall expresses its own quiet beauty that herds us in from rushing about, inviting us to enjoy the season of gathering.
