Thanks to Fran Haley for hosting this month, and for providing the theme of Renewal for our consideration. Find her post and links to others HERE.
We had our first hard frost last night, and this morning every twig and blade of grass is dressed in diamonds. In the realm of renewal, there is a cycle. This is the time of last harvest, a time to pull out the day lilies that didn't bloom and that I never liked, dig in some good compost, and let the garden rest over the winter. A fallow time.
I love fall: the color change, the cooler days and brisk breezes. And this week, once again, the smell of candle flame on pumpkin flesh. I do love it. But over time, seasons offer new perspectives. We change, and our expectations change with them. I don't jump into piles of leaves anymore. I gave that up years ago. I do like raking leaves: fresh air, crisp leaves crunching underfoot and the rake scritching music in my ears. Raking, I tell myself, is good exercise.
Still, as I raked yesterday, I began to think a new thought. Raking is beginning to hurt my arthritic hands. Do I really need to do it? Maybe I could get someone to do it for me? Maybe I could give up my quiet protest against leaf blowers? Maybe I could be less stubborn?
Maybe I'm giving in, but I'm calling it renewal. Each day is a gift, and with it comes change and the challenge of dealing with that change. I will probably resist for another season, but sooner or later I will have to accept changes. When I do, I'll call it healthy renewal.
For me, renewal is an aspect of our beings that points to the image of God. Our bodies aren't static, instead they constantly renew themselves. We have the capacity to learn and create. The patterns of nature give us a blueprint of renewal. Each drink of water and slice of bread renews us. Songs and stories renew us. Wind in the face renews us.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made... Psalm 139:14
Mary Oliver asks us, in the last line of her wonderful poem The Summer Day: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
I plan to keep writing, and reading, and trying to figure out what God is telling me. I plan to keep working on renewal.
