“This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
—Psalm 118:24Dear friends,
I love the fall. I can feel the autumn coming now…shorter days, cooler temperatures, the leaves beginning to turn. I can hardly wait for the fall colors. Although we had such a dry summer, I know that the turning leaves will give us quite a show, they always do, colors of red, orange, yellow and brown, swirling in the wind, falling like rain, and piling up in our yards.
To celebrate the season when I was growing up, my mother always helped us to make wax paper leaves. We’d gather leaves of different colors and shapes and place them in patterns between two pieces of wax paper on the ironing board. Then, carefully pressing down with a hot iron, we’d fuse the layers of wax paper together. It was our attempt to capture the moment and nature’s beautiful autumn colors into something like stained glass to be taped to the kitchen windows.
Capturing those brilliant autumn colors by making wax paper leaves with my Mom reminds me of how important it is to be in the present moment. We’re often so busy, with our heads down and full of distractions, that we’re in danger of missing what’s happening right now. We might be worrying about the future or ruminating about the past, neither of which is in our control, and the beauty and blessings of the “right now” are lost to us.
Author Eckhart Tolle has written, “Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry—all forms of fear—are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.” Like the changing leaves, the present is fleeting and unable to be captured between wax paper or in any other way. It must be savored in the moment.
In the busyness of our mind and days, let’s not miss the amazing colors of the changing leaves! Let’s pause to ground ourselves, savoring the present by reflecting on the beauty of the day and blessings in the moment at hand—the gifts of God’s creation and the company of dear ones!
Blessings for October,
Karen Nell“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
—Matthew 6:34