Sparklers

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” 

– Corrie Ten Boom

Every New Year kick-starts us by focusing our attention on new beginnings. Spring then propels us to a time of renewal, while Summer slows us down as we enter those “lazy, crazy days” of fun and relaxation. As we enter Fall, I begin to wonder:  What were my New Year’s resolutions? Did my spring cleaning get done? Did my “bikini weight loss goal” happen?

Some would say Fall is a time of cooler weather, football rivalries, comfort foods like soup and chili, the smell of burning leaves or of wood smoldering in a fireplace. Crazy Halloween costumes and treats or tricks are only days away while gathering with family and friends to give thanks for our country over a feast of golden brown turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, with a pumpkin pie finale is weeks away. The Christmas season has begun making its advancing presence felt, although it is months away.

Each day I accompany my dog Teddie on his twilight walks, with the sun either peeking over the horizon of the trees as it brings forth the dawn of a new day, or its descent teasing us with a gentle, albeit, restless reminder that the day is coming to a close. Teddie exudes glee with either time. Head down, he walks as fast as those little legs will carry him, nose to the ground searching out something elusive. Other times, he chases birds, or bunnies. or squirrels and with what purpose, I do not know. His walks are his own and the one thing I have come to realize is this: he is in the moment with the importance and enjoyment of that moment only. It is his moment and it is up him to do with it what he will.

For me, Fall is a season of reflection that usually occurs during those twilight walks with Teddie. Two seasons gone; did I do the right things –  those which are only important in this moment and on this day? Life is happening right now. Did I laugh out loud when Teddie ran after that bird that teased him into a chase? Whether this moment right now is joyful or sad, hurting or healing, the important thing to reflect on is in the knowing that everything changes. Life happens in the moment and if we fail to be in the moment with life, then we simply miss it.

What has happened then becomes a memory, often leaving us changed. What will we do with those changes? What will be is YET to be; leave the excitement or the worry for then. Be here now. Stop and look at the vibrant, as well as the muted colors of nature in the fall – both have purpose. Inhale the crispness of the morning air and feel the remaining warmth of the fleeting afternoons that are not yet willing to let summer go.

Nature grows older, but no less beautiful as it prepares for what is to be. Life grows shorter as the moments pass. That is our destiny. So for now, let time take care of itself.

In this moment do good things. Be kind to yourself and be kind each other and remember to pray. Laugh with others, cry with others, care for others – but make life count in this moment.

Lights of Grace:
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”