Autumn Lessons

Fall is in the air.
And as I witness its signs,
as I touch it and smell it,
feel it and breathe it in,
I think about dying and rising,
shedding and new births,
letting go,
and trusting in fertile seeds,
submitting to the flow of the cosmos
with hope in the promise
of future life renewed.

I can see truth,
all that is real,
all that is constant,
in the depths of our existence.
You see,
nature is a dynamic teacher,
`tho I seldom give her
my listening ear.

Even now,
I look out at the leaves,
playfully scattered
across our grounds.
I look at the trees,
not quite so elaborately dressed
as they were last April.

And I know that I too must do my
homework,
and learn my lesson well.
I, too, must shed some
and die some.
I, too, must let go
and submit to the grace
of God’s mysterious ways.

Jesus, call me to see
the dawning of a new day
in the deep recesses of my heart.

~Barbara DeStefano