Still Autumn

I know that tomorrow is December 1st, but officially it's still Autumn.  As I walked through the multi-colored leaves to my mailbox this evening, I was reminded the season doesn't end for a few more weeks.

When driving to see my mother last Thursday, and when I took another short trip on Sunday, I noticed the colors of the trees even in the rainy weather.  There is still an abundance of falling leaves even as the holiday decorations go up.

In Amy Sorensen's blog, The English Geek, (http://amysorensen.typepad.com/the_english_geek/) she shared a poem today. I found it beautiful and timely in spite of its title.

October

by Carolyn Smart

Those fallen leaves, pale supplicants,
have much to teach us of surrender,
how, wrapped in autumn's incense
they unfurl their flags to the wind
Every year I want to kneel in damp soil
and say farewell to blessed things:
the swift geese as they shout each to each
above the treetops, the white nicotinia
at my door, still releasing its fragrance
against the chill of evening,
the memory of a much-loved hand the last day I held it
There was early morning light rich as silk,
the flash of late fireflies
amidst the cedar,
cows' tails whisking in the amber fields,
the chiaroscuro of a moth's wing
Goodbye, brief lives,
ablaze with tenderness;
today the glory of the leaves
is enough, for I am learning anew
to release all I cannot hold,
these moments of luminous grace
saying Here and here is beauty,
here grief: this is the way to come home

PS:  If you haven't already done so, take a few minutes to check out the video at www.autumnblessingsmovie.com/.