Autumn Seasonal Theme
Wild and wet winds ushered in the new season. Our autumn days begin with crisp mornings that taste of apples and end with cool evenings that smell of camp fires. Time has begun to slow down. We’ve unpacked our knits and wool, raincoats and rainboots.
With cold, bare feet, I tiptoed across our wooden floors to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. It was a bright sunrise. It woke me up from a musing and profound sleep of sweet dreams. Since the start of fall, we’ve only had dark, gloomy, rainy sunrises. I was especially grateful for this bright with pinks and glowing oranges morning, as the leaves reflected and basked in the morning light.
Bryan listened carefully for the chipmunks' little tweets at the base of the trees, and I twirled a crimson leaf in my fingers as we marched up the last hill towards home. I’m curious. Autumn blooms play folly to capricious winds. Shedding of layers
Each season, I like to pick a theme of sorts to help me focus. Last season, I chose "organize" to help me navigate my newly established routines--ones that I created from the previous season. These seasonal themes often flow and continue to grow into the next season as I learn from my mistakes--which I’ve learned, I’m not very good at learning from mistakes; I thought I was, but I’m not.
I’ve established rhythms in storytelling and in my relationships; I’ve rearranged and organized these routines to accommodate the task and the environment.
And now, I’m left to do the work.
So, I’ve chosen to center this fall season around Trust. Not just any kind of trust, a specific kind, a divine Trust in my Heavenly Father.
When I think of autumn, I’m reminded of the shedding of layers that no longer serve a purpose. The leaves slip from the branches and fall to the ground. And I suppose that my seasonal theme might be more reflective of winter, but Trust is something that my studies have been pointing to for the last few weeks: Trust in Him. Trust is not just a seasonal practice. It is certainly a lot harder to trust in a harsher environment, and thus the practice of Trust in a season reflective of Winter is understandable and popular thought. I’m choosing to Trust in Christ this autumn. Trust in the storytelling routines I’ve created, trust in my relationships.
So how can I measure Trust:
- It’s simple. I continue the work.
Plant the seed. Continue to keep working, trusting that Christ is nourishing the work, trusting that I’m learning from my mistakes and my successes.
Though quite simple to write out, I’ll have difficulty putting it into practice. For me, self-doubt is something I battle almost daily. It’s pride that is my biggest flaw. So to practice trust, I really just ought to practice humility. I’ll need to really lean on Christ in Faith that together we’ll produce fruit.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed learning about my seasonal themes in place of new year resolutions. If you enjoyed reading my thoughts you might enjoy this list of some previous thoughts I've had.
Wishing you all the luck in your own resolutions, goals, and themes.