Autumn Reflections

To everything there is a season
And a time for every purpose under Heaven…
I find myself transfixed in time and space



Having slipped from the summer of adulthood
That long, seemingly endless chasm of time
Busy days filled with energy and sunlight


Stretching late into warm, sultry evenings
Always active…
Always vibrant…
Always healthy…
Never peering into the distance
Building my life, my family, cherished memories
Until one day the sunlit days of summer
Begin to shorten


Progress seems slow at first, changes barely perceivable
Green leaves begin slipping into garments of
Brilliant yellows, burnt oranges, fiery reds…
Preparing for the morning chill that a new day brings
How did I find myself here so quickly?
The passage of time slipping away
Like the grains of sand in an hour glass
Until the sand begins sifting through the
Narrow glass opening
At a faster rate…
Quicker now…
Less remaining than before
I begin to notice the passage of time
The changing seasons
Before winter brings darkness and cold

And the blood in my veins thickens with icy crystals
The season of my parents’ abode
That soon will be mine
When they move on
My heart already cries out for them
In my aloneness and solitude
Winter will soon be mine
But for now I notice the autumn changes
I pay closer attention
My vitality…
My vibrancy…
My life…
All slowly prepares for hibernation
I sense the impending chill
For myself and others around me
Do others sense it too?


Only fading photographs tell the story
Of what once was
During the spring and summers of my life
Now gone…
As I prepare to walk into my autumn season



I watch as the leaves begin to slowly…
One by one…
Drop from their sturdy branches

Slowly drifting…
Swirling…
Spiraling downward…
Sometimes caught dancing on the wind
Sometimes landing gently on the ground
But always detaching…
Separating…
Always falling…
In their season
The world prepares for winter
My soul prepares for winter
May I find myself in readiness
When my winter season finally arrives


Ready for dormancy…
Rest from my labor…
Following the examples of my loved ones
Who have gone before me
With courage…
Who have faced the icy breath of winter




And who hope for the return of spring
And resurrection to new life
I, too, will wait and hope
To everything there is a season
And a time for every purpose under Heaven.



Dorothy Lund
written Autumn 2004