NOVEMBER 2016 - “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
When my kids were little, we started watching “Elmo Saves Christmas” in November and continued to watch it until long-after the new year. The story illustrates that Christmas wouldn’t be special if it happened every day. The irony of watching EVERY DAY a movie about what would happen if you did the same thing every day was not lost on me.
These days it’s not Christmas, but summer every day. It’s the first of November, and the temps are in the 80s and the skies are blue. Sweaters are too hot, and it’s been so long since a good rain, that there’s a ban on outdoor fires–not that it’s cold enough to merit one.
Finally, the leaves are exchanging green for their hidden colors, and today, as I took my daily walk, I looked up to see a yellow maple leaf illuminated by the sun. It stopped me in my tracks.
I am thankful for fall and for autumn leaves, and that little leaf reminded me that, despite my protestations, I am thankful for change. I don’t always like it, but what kind of life would this be if nothing every changed. What if babies never grew independent or job responsibilities never varied? What if we sang the same song in church every Sunday or I had to eat ham and cheese every meal?
I’ll take the change. I may not like some of the signs that my body is aging, and I certainly don’t like it that my baby girl is about to turn 18. I’m not altogether stoked that my boy lives 3 and a half hours away, and I don’t like saying good bye to people that I love. But, change is a sign of life and living. I’ll take the change.
When I saw that leaf, it reminded me that that life has seasons, and change is good. Just as there are seasons of mourning, an opportunity to dance is just around the bend.
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