OF PERMANENCE AND CHANGE

Fall has arrived in all its glory in the upper midwest. In addition to the stunning colors of the changing leaves, there are many reasons to love this season, including apple picking, corn mazes, playoff baseball, carving pumpkins, baking pies, and wearing your favorite sweater.

One additional reason we love fall is that it is a time when we find ourselves turning inward, reflecting on the changing nature of life in general. The poet Bonaro Overstreet captures this part of fall when he describes this time of year as "a symphony of permanence and change." Life is indeed an ongoing song of permanence and change, and taking time to honor both realities is essential.

It's not just the trees transitioning here in the northern hemisphere as the geese and other wildlife prepare for the coming winter months, as well. The geese and other animals move great distances, making an external, literal transition of place. Trees and many other animals stay in place and create an internal transition, shifting their energy from external growth and creation to various expressions of internal protecting and stewarding.

We can all benefit from doing a similar kind of internal protecting and stewarding in the fall as we let go of what has been. Maybe a relationship, a job, or a dream for ourselves or others is changing. Perhaps it's time for us to let go of a grudge or expectation. No matter what is shifting for us, it will likely be an emotional undertaking, being hard, uncomfortable, and yet in some instances, even freeing.

A symphony of permanence and change, and the leaves remind us that it is possible to find beauty in both.

Making It Personal Questions:

1. Is there a significant change in your life that you are experiencing right now? If so, how are you experiencing this change? Excited? Sad? Angry? Worried? Are you comfortable experiencing and expressing the full range of your emotions?
2. In this season of permanence and change, what remains constant for you? What do you hold on to? Is it your spirituality? Your values? Your core sense of who you are?