… A reflection by Sr. Fran Moore, CDP

Fall is my favorite season; I love the beauty of the trees, the clear blue skies and the crisp sunshine-filled days. This year, fall seems especially lovely to me; the trees seem brighter, the colors of fall flowers more brilliant and, finally, cooler weather has arrived! Turkish author, Mehmet Murat ildan, said it best when he said, “Autumn is a visual gift given by nature to raise the morale of human beings who are worried as they enter the dark days of winter!”

The year 2020 has probably been the most challenging year in recent memory. We have witnessed a pandemic, claiming more than 220,000 U.S. lives; a great number of jobs and businesses lost; wildfires out west; tornados, hurricanes and flooding; people dying without the comforting presence of their loved ones; racial discord; and an increase in violence — just to mention a few things that come to mind. In times like these, one could easily become mired in the sadness of so much tragedy. But just when there seems to be darkness all around us, the fall season comes and the trees become magic! “Autumn,” poet John Howard Bryant reflected, is “the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

This time of year always reminds me that everything is passing. The trees spend a good half of the year growing and offering shade and comfort, yet, in the fall, they let go of all they’ve worked to attain and their leaves fall to the ground to be gathered and taken away — fodder for next year’s growth. In some ways, it seems like a metaphor for life itself. We spend the years of our life growing, learning, stretching, surrounding ourselves with memories and treasures. Yet, in the end, we are called to let go of everything. Trees shed their leaves to make room for new growth; we can learn much from this.

As faith-filled people, we are called to share freely of the beauty and the gifts that have been ours, and not get mired in the chaos and sadness around us. So, as followers of Christ, may we strive to “Let our joys and sorrows fall like dead leaves and turn with a simple look of love toward God” (Anonymous).