Anne reveled in the world of color about her. “Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”
“Messy things,” said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. “You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in.”
“Oh, and dream in too, Marilla. And you know one can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things. I’m going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table.”
“Mind you don’t drop leaves all over the stairs then.”
Whether fall gives you a thrill like Anne, or brings to mind the raking and tidying tasks like Marilla, there is a seasonal rhythm to our years that recurs. October brings beauty, change, and decay. As an autumn fan, it’s one of my favorite months.
It’s also a stressful time, especially in contentious election years. Recently I read a book that used a seasonal metaphor for the cycles of human societies, in which the author suggested that we’re now in a winter in the United States. Without winter, he suggested, autumn would be an unending time of slow decay. Winter is the necessary hard reset that opens up the possibility of spring.
I find this comforting to think about. Whatever happens in the coming weeks and months, whether it leads fairly quickly to the renewal of spring or involves times of hard freeze and frosts, the movement from autumn to winter to spring is ultimately lifegiving and vital on a grand scale. I know that doesn’t erase the impact to individual lives, but it does give me a framework for hope and commitment to doing what’s needed, however the season unfolds.
And no matter what comes, our world is still full of beauty. Make the time to notice it, as often as you can, and let it sustain you.
Warmly,
Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Website: https://www.ouuc.org
Email: office@ouuc.org
Location: 2306 East End St NW, Olympia, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 634-2005
Office Hours
Tuesday - Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sunday, during services
Staff Contacts
Rev. Mary Gear, Minister - on sabbatical until 11/1/24
Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen, Sabbatical Minister
Rev. Sara Lewis, Director of Community & Faith Development
Troy Fisher, Music Director
Isaac Jennings, Business Manager
Rosie Koppelman, Office Assistant
Teresa Madsen, Communications & Tech Coordinator
Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager
Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant
Carbon Marshall, Tech Specialist