This week we bid goodbye to summer. I confess I’m not sorry to see it go. This series of days between June and September has been unusually hot, long, and dry. Oregon summers typically aren’t like that, so enduring this non-ending chain of boiling afternoons and humid evenings has taxed all of us.
I’m hoping this doesn’t set a precedent that Old Man Winter feels compelled to imitate by being unusually cold, wet, and miserable. That happens here, too, more often than not.
Not a fan.
I’ve never followed the scientific reasons behind the autumnal equinox, the fact that on this day in September, by some pre-determined calculation, the day and the night have an equal number of hours. After the event, the days grow shorter and the nights longer, bringing on the advent of winter.
God the Father put this pattern in place and declared it in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
I only mark the passage of summer into fall by the beautiful change of colors. Summer leaves of green give way to oranges, reds, and yellows that make the landscape vibrant for a few short weeks. The temperatures drop. The fireplace is lit. Dinner menus change. Closets are raided for warmer clothing.
And while I don’t look forward to winter, I will enjoy the seasonal change that Autumn brings. This rhythm in nature keeps the world on its axis and the beat of life regulated. Its very existence is a testimony to the power of the living Creator.
Psalm 19:1,2 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
Beautifully put. I used to love summer and fall.
I’m ready for God to bring on winter.