Struck by Glory

Japanese red maple tree 

Dear Soul Friends, 

Autumn is a mystical time of year for me. It’s dark when I wake up and go to my office in the early morning to write. I like to light a candle in front of my favorite icon, the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. The soft flickering light illuminates her face blessing me with her tender gaze of loving compassion. Her presence on my desk next to my computer lifts my spirits. She invites me to be still and listen for soul wisdom. 

But autumn is not my favorite time of year. As the days get shorter shrouding us in darkness, I mourn the loss of light and long summer days. I miss the leaves that adorn the branches of the majestic oak tree that graces my yard. I begin to look too far ahead as I anticipate the even shorter, colder days of winter. Thinking about it is dispiriting.

The squirrels that are collecting acorns at the base of the oak tree and the robins that are eating berries in the dogwood tree don’t seem concerned by the change of season. The trees that grace us with brilliant hues of red, orange, yellow, and green glisten in their beauty as their leaves spiral to the ground. The other day at a stop light, my car was blanketed in red maple leaves. It’s as though the neighboring tree decided it had two minutes to let go of almost all it’s the leaves. In New England the season of letting go is spectacularly colorful. 

Letting go of what I want isn’t always easy. I’d rather keep things the way I like them. But that is not soul’s way of knowing. Soul knows even shorter, darker days have something to say.

 As I sat at the stop light watching the falling leaves, I heard soul say, “open your eyes, Susan. Be delighted by glory. Stay in this moment and savor the beauty. It is the gift of this season.”

May you be blessed by glory.

Deep peace to you,

Susan