I LOVE the Season of Fall!  As a Midwest Girl growing up and living through decades of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, I have always welcomed and applauded how each season brings its own special signature of weathered beauty, variations of temperature, and spectacular landscapes to the Northwest Corner of Indiana.  But of the four, my favorite is Autumn!  I am thoroughly enjoying my “60th” Fall Season here on God’s beautiful earth as I watch leaves of scarlet, amber, and orange spiraling downward in out-of-control flight patterns initiated by whirlwinds of chilly gusts, landing everywhere!

Honking geese airborne in formations of the Letter V to fly south before winter hits, signals another reminder that Fall has arrived.   In the essence of smell, there is nothing like the odor of flaming hardwood logs, wafting smoke upward from home fireplaces through rooftop chimneys into the crisp, cold air of October.

 

As I sip on a mug of crock-pot warmed apple cider spiced with cinnamon sticks and watch misty rain gently shower my multicolored mums out on the patio, I silently thank my Creator for this spectacular time of the year.  Yahoo!!  I LOVE Fall!!  How about you?  Do you enjoy the richness of the changes of Nature?  Many people who I know in this region chime together with me to the harmonic melody of the “I Love Fall” chorus!

…then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. ~ Deuteronomy 11:14 (NIV)

FALLS OF A DIFFERENT KIND

Fall brings captivating beauty to those parts of the globe that Autumn visits on a seasonal basis, but there are other kinds of Falls in our “Seasons of Life” that we may have seen or experienced as well.  Just to name a few…..The Falls of Love (In and Out) of which the heart finds both rebirth and brokenness respectively;  The Falls of Injury that bring pain, suffering, numerous doctor visits, surgery & rehab, healing and scars;  The Falls of a Toddler who is transitioning from the crawling stages of babyhood while learning how to ambulate on short, wobbly legs until walking becomes running… how exciting!

The Falls of Niagara – considered now the New 8th Wonder of the World, that serves as an international border between the USA & Canada – if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit this majestic waterfall, I highly suggest that you add it to your Bucket List!

Countless courageous men & women of our military forces who have served this country fighting in the Battlefields of War over the many years for our liberties, gave up their lives taking The Fall for Freedom in which their dedication & sacrifice of the highest service can never be matched.  Please take a moment of recognition and remembrance for those who have died and those who have lost their loved ones.

But I say to all men, what we have achieved in liberty, we will surpass in greater liberty.  Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world where man’s freedom is secure.  – Harry S. Truman –

The first fall, The Fall of Man wherein The Garden of Eden of pure perfection, the first man and woman, Adam & Eve, created by God in the beginning of time, disobeyed Him causing the entire human race to be cursed with hardship and death until Restoration & Redemption came through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” ~ Galatians 3:13 (NIV)

Jesus took the Fall for all of Mankind

CHANGES OF FALL AND LIFE

Within the Season of Fall there are noticeable changes in the landscape of Earth that begin to occur when Summer reaches its final days of the cyclic seasonal calendar.  Changes that cause us to begin to prepare for dropping temperatures that warrant hooded sweatshirts, layers of clothing to retain body heat, and covered footwear replacing open-toed sandals and flip-flops highlighting exposed painted toenails of cheery, bright colors for all to see!

 

 

 

 

 

Farmers scurry to the corn and soybean fields of their fruitful yearly yield, operating massive combines and farm machinery of all sorts, to harvest the crops before Fall Rains arrive and the First Frost covers the land.

“As long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”~Genesis 8:22 (NIV)

So it is with the “falls” of our own Seasons of Life, that change is inevitable and must take place.  For out of change there is growth where wisdom is born through new experiences & circumstances relating to what has changed in our world.  We all change.  From the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb, our bodies are constantly changing from birth until death.  There is no denial and there is no control over this phenomenon of life.  I will never forget the words of the surgeon who had finished performing open-heart surgery on my brother almost 30 years ago.  Taking the time out to talk with me and my family members to report how he was doing, the Doctor and I engaged in a short conversation.  I recall the unforgettable words prompted from this brilliant man in our brief exchange of casual dialog, “The only thing constant in life is change”.  For some strange reason, I had never heard this expression before and for some strange reason this spoken phrase has never left my memory.  After he walked away, I pondered what he had so meaningfully expressed to me and inwardly I agreed that what he said was so true.

 

“Change is the only constant in life” Heraclitus

 

 

Those who don’t like change or are resistant to it have difficulty finding peace and joy in the process.  Changes can sometimes be very difficult or fun and easy depending on the matter at hand. Sometimes it drops us to our knees when abrupt and unexpected, such as a sudden loss of a loved one.  This I am quite familiar with when losing a husband to a fatal heart attack at his young age of 46, eleven years ago.  Gradual changes that visit us in ways like starting a new job or preparing for a move to a new location allow for planning, preparation, and getting our minds wrapped around what is going to knowingly come about. All in all, we cannot escape the ebbs and flows of living that effect the shifting tides of change in our Life Seasons as we become everything that we were created to be by the One who NEVER CHANGES!

“I the Lord do not change”… Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

May Your Fall Be Beautiful & Blessed!!