Raking Leaves
Fall is a great time for me, second only to Spring. The heat of Summer is over and the weather remains good. All the delays and closures caused by most of the country being on vacation for the month of August are finished, and the world is back to normal. School starts back up, a new season of sports begins, and work is less hectic because people are actually there, meaning that we don’t have to prepare for the event of an emergency when all the people meant to handle such things are on vacation.
Perhaps the most iconic memory I have of Fall is our arrival in France back in 2014. We had great difficulties in getting our visas sorted out back in China, but had gotten the process done and had arrived in Paris at the beginning of September. We didn’t know where we could find a place to rent, or even how to get resident cards to access the transportation system without having to buy paper tickets every time. But on that first morning waking up in France, we were just happy to be there. We left our hotel in Suresnes and walked across the Seine to the East bank in the Bois de Boulogne, which is technically Paris. Holding hands walking along the river felt very different from our lives back in China. In that atmosphere, our senses were taking it all in, and it was the atmosphere of Fall that we were taking in.
The physical beauty of the fall is what comes across the most to me. I’m a person very susceptible to nostalgia, and that’s what Fall is all about. While the heat of Summer subsides and all the plant life which exploded in Spring and Summer slowly fades away, I feel a sense of emotion related to the change. I like that feeling. The feeling that I am savoring something that won’t always be there. Seeing the leaves turning bright colors on the trees is easily the best part of Fall. Especially as the leaves of different trees change colors at different times, prolonging the experience and making for views of red and green trees side-by-side.
While I am raking up the leaves and acorns from the large oak tree in our backyard, I have time to reflect on the whole meaning of Fall. The season itself is evidence of the Creator. All of the systems which come together to make the leaves fall, to provide acorns for squirrels, to spread seeds for more trees, and to work with many other systems, amaze me. As someone who spends a lot of time trying to create things and fix things, I can appreciate anything that works well, and when I see the changing of the seasons, I see a design put into action and working well. There is intelligence in the design, but even more importantly, there is love. Fall didn’t have to be beautiful. The way that trees survive winter didn’t have be a visual delight in the way that it is. The beauty is evidence of the intent of the Designer.
The other reason that I am nostalgic in Fall is that it of course signals that another year is coming to an end. At the end of each year I look back at the year and think of all the things we have accomplished, all the ways that we have grown, and the challenges we have overcome. When Fall comes around, I start that process. It’s a time for us to do things for one last time before the year is over. I try to get our family outside before the weather turns too cold. At the beginning of Fall we have one last meal outside and agree that it’s time to fold up our outdoor table and put it away until next Spring. This year, I bought firewood to prepare for the end of Fall and the beginning of Winter.
The obvious downside of Fall for me is that it soon leads to Winter. Fall is great for its beautiful leaves and nostalgic atmosphere. But as October arrives, we have to start turning on the heat in the bathroom unless to avoid catching a cold when we take a shower. By November, we’re burning firewood more regularly, but trying to conserve it a bit. By the end of November we’re nearing the end of Fall and approaching the much more serious subject of Winter, when a sweatshirt is no longer sufficient, and I must head into work in a full-blown overcoat.
Right now, I’m still enjoying November. Today was a great day outside, and I took the children out for a walk, albeit a brief one. I raked up a big bag of leaves and acorns, though by next weekend the backyard will be covered by red and orange once again. The weather is supposed to be great for another week, which is great. The longer Winter is delayed, the better. I’m just enjoying Fall.