Autumn

Autumn is upon us, or as folks usually call it, fall.  Fall is generally known to be from the the September equinox to the December solstice in the Northern Hemisphere of the globe.  It of course runs the opposite in the southern hemisphere going from the  April equinox to the June solstice.  Being that I and a majority people are from the northern half, I will stick with that.  In the bible fall isn’t really called fall.  It’s more commonly known as harvest. 

 

Fall is generally a time of preparation.  Food is harvested and prepared so that there is plenty for the winter.  In our modern society, we have really gotten away from this natural cycle as plenty is normally available at the supermarkets, and modern technology allows us to be comfortably shielded from the harshness of the coming winter.  In days of not so old, this season of fall, and how one prepared during it could make the difference between life and death over the cold winter months.  Not only was the food to be prepped, but firewood needed to be cut and house repairs too.  All the winter coverings had to be repaired or made.  Fall was also a season of hunting too, and the meats had to be prepared to be good for the winter and edible.

Autumn is also a time of great beauty.  The trees in their preparation for winter hibernation will withdraw the green Chlorophyll from its leaves turning them striking colors of golds, reds, oranges, and yellows.  This can transform the landscape into a scene of astonishing beauty for a short time.  It’s almost as if God put an alarm clock in the trees so we would know to get our affairs in order before the barren winter would come.

I remember as a child how magic and mischievous fall would be.  We would spend an hour or two raking the leaves up in piles just so we could jump in them and throw handfuls of them at one another.  For those of us kids who were entrepreneur types, fall was a great time to make money going door to door and raking leaves for people.  For $5 we’d have your yard rakes free, (well, mostly) from all those leaves.  We would then take the money we earned and ride our bikes down to the candy store. The leaves were also great for burning.  There was nothing like a nice warm fire on a crispy cool evening.   

 

Fall is also a season of celebration.  Most cultures in the world have some sort of harvest festival where everyone gathers together for a big feast to celebrate the plenty of the harvest.  It was always a great joy to be done with the hard work of harvest and gathering for the winter.  The hard work behind, a time of rest was settling in.  Eat, drink, and be merry while one can before the harsh winters set in.