AUTUMN

We give thanks for the harvest of the heart’s work;
Seeds of faith planted with faith;
Love nurtured by love;
Courage strengthened by courage.

We give thanks for the fruits of the struggling soul,
The bitter and the sweet;
For that which has grown in adversity
And for that which has flourished in warmth and grace;

For the radiance of the spirit in autumn
And for that which must now fade and die,
We are blessed and give thanks.

Amen

Michael Leunig
Source: The Prayer Tree

FOR REFLECTION:

♦ What is your heart’s work at this time?

♦ What have been your most difficult struggles as  of late? What about them has been the most sour? Has there been any surprising sweetness? Have they born any fruit?

♦ Autumn is also a planting season. What seeds would you most like to plant and see stretching forth and flowering in your life?

♦ Autumn, like each of the seasons of creation, bears visible signs that offer holy hints of how to be or what to ponder or do. What is fading or dying or needs to fade and die in your life?

ARTWORK: Aspen Afloat by Kathy Conzelman. Used with permission. Simply KMC Photos