A Contemplation of Autumn

To continue with the theme that I have been using on the seasons of life, we now journey into the season of life that we may compare to Autumn.

This is the season that the wind blows bitterly and frost will cover the ground at night. The leaves change from green to reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. They take their leave of their lofty perches and whirl to the ground, and in the fields the harvest is ready to be reaped.

So it is with this season of life, the change is as gradual as all the others were. Initially the only noticeable change is that those seeds planted in the children during their Spring have started to emerge and show what they shall someday be. Gradually, the hair moves from its initial vibrant appearance and color to the grays and whites of the wise elder, even as the trees begin to see their leaves change.

The seeds of discipline, work, and faith now start to be harvested. It is now that we start to see what the youth has become in full manhood. The loss of those who were in their Winter months now becomes acute as the realization sets in that they are no longer the ones who bear the torch. Instead, those in their Autumn have now risen and are to guide the ship safely, until they in their turn hand off the responsibility to the next generation.

This is a time of great activity as those in this season start desperately laying up for their Winter. This is the time when the wise or foolish financial decisions of their young adulthood become critical.

The days grow ever shorter, the children move from late Spring toward mid-Summer, and a new generation is born into the Spring to be led and guided by those who are now advancing rapidly into the latter years of their life. There are still seeds that will be planted, but the results will not likely be seen by those doing the planting now. They will likely have departed before they see the depth of their influence over the lives that are now coming into the world.

And so the cycle continues every drawing closer to when the health is more fragile, the joints and bones begin to ache, and along comes the honors of a life that has been well lived, or the infamy of those who did not do well. As the chill winds of Winter begin to blow, that harvest that has been laid up finally begins to be enjoyed in the respect, reverence, and wisdom that only the journey through these seasons and all of their turmoil, chaos, and confusion can bring.