Changing Seasons

The change of season has come fast and furiously. Only a few weeks ago we were basking in the heat of a late summer, enjoying a bumper crop of green beans and cucumber. All that seemed a distant memory as I donned rubber boots, rain pants and a hooded jacket for this morning's chores. I wasn't the only one to notice the abrupt turn. The goats were huddled together inside their stall, avoiding the wind and rain entirely. The pigs only ventured from their shelter when they realized I  had a fresh bucket of slop for their enjoyment. Cobie (the horse) peered out from her stall to the rain outside, neck long and low, ears back, eyes squinted. The sheep, usually indifferent to inclement weather, had carefully sought out a dry spot under one of the large trees. Even the chickens were apprehensive to venture further than the overhang of their coop in search of fresh greens and grubs.

The garden too spoke of the change. Wet, browning leaves and stems bearing the final beans of the summer harvest, wilting squash vines revealing large fruits ready for picking and storage, limp potato plants of the remaining undug tubers.

On one hand, mornings like this leave me longing for dry summer days without the responsibilities of homeschooling and the confines of a schedule. The fall has always been the season that I have struggled with long dark days and the feelings that such days provoke. Yet I feel joy this morning because I know that God has created each season with a unique purpose. Each season holds its own lesson and its own story that our Creator has crafted to speak of His glory and to reveal His truth. So, today I choose to embrace this next season and all that God has in store.