The Burning Bush has the look of fire, but it is not being consumed by the crimson leaves, while Goldenrod stands tall in the fields attracting Monarchs to its mustard colored foliage. Vivid yellow and black Goldfinches greedily eat Thistle seed as they sway atop the prickly plants. Red squirrels gather pine cones for the delicious tender seeds hidden within, and the sweet sticky sap, leaving a mess wherever they feast on their bounty. Their raucous chatter is heard about the yard as they sound off their good fortune to their neighbors, who reply in kind. Eastern Chipmunks gather acorns, filling their chubby cheeks with the plenteous nuts of nature, before scampering away down one of their many entrances into their underworld of tunnels. I'm not sure, as I spy, whether it is the same chipmunk that goes into a hole, only to pop out of another to start the whole process again.
Everywhere you look there is change. Trees are no longer arrayed in their multifaceted mantle of green but are donning instead a cloak of many colors; yellow, red, orange, rust, and brown. Soon the winds of autumn will strip them, leaving their branches bare before us, a reminder that our bodies are temporal and will diminish leaving only our souls exposed to the world.
Many birds have now flown to warmer climes and our feeders are left to the regulars of fall, a soothing sight after the summer rush of visitors and guest. The croaking frogs have long since silenced their calls, with reproduction at a rest, yet now and then a lone chirp is heard from a male opposed to end of that phase in his cycle. Crickets and Katydids have taken the stage, filling the night with their song serenades, welcoming the return of autumn.
As the evergreens woodsy pine tang ferments in the air, so does the perfume of dying leaves and plants. The sweet overpowering fragrance of decay saturates the mind and brings to the forefront thoughts of our own mortality. Is there really life after death? How can we doubt it, when that truth declares itself in the nature that is all about? New growth burst forth after a devastating fire. Fertile soil sustains crops after a flood. Spring follows winter. Each example fully affirms that there is life after death. Winter will, very soon, chase the fall away and give us another opportunity to embrace the wonder and welcome the transforming renewal that seasons offer.
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