Lessons From the Leaves

Barnum and Bailey have nothing on Fall in Wisconsin. This time of year, all you have to do is step outside to have a front row seat for the greatest show on earth.

With every rustle of wind, the leaf dance begins. Overnight, the trees seem to have switched on their internal spotlights. They have lit up. The spiders intricately woven webs collect passing leaves, making beautiful natural Halloween decorations. (See the pic above.)

Nature is all a buzz in the Fall. It’s the storm before the calm. The gateway to winter.

What a clever plan our Creator had, to use nature as a classroom. If we take the time to notice it, observe it, and let it instruct us, we learn a lot about life and death. We witness first-hand the cycles of life and grow to appreciate the beauty of each one.

If we let our imaginations take over, we see the journey of the leaves each year as a symbol of the journey of our lives. The budding, the fullness, the aging, the transforming, the snap, and the gentle tumble and soft landing to a place we’ve never been before.

At each step of that journey, we are never alone. We are surrounded by others who are experiencing the same cycles, the same changes, the same uncontrollable progression of life to its end. We are surrounded by the Creator’s love too, the love of the One who is in all of this, in all of us.

I hope you will find the time to take in this show. It has a limited engagement. It won’t be around forever and you don’t want to miss it. Put down your phone or tablet, or whatever you are reading this blog on, and go outside. Something amazing awaits!

Joan