I’ve been doing chores all day, missed my porch perching this morning. Went out after supper, coffee cup in hand, perched in the swing and watched the day get ready for bed. The sunset was muted and soft colored in sea glass colored pastel pinks and aquas. The twilight was beautiful and mystical, full of the neighborhood hoot owl’s loud guttural calls and comical hoots. He flew across my yard straight into the sunset, flying toward a tall oak tree across the street, his wings outstretched and slowly undulating with strength. Owls are handsome birds. I love these evenings when the earth gets quiet and the night symphonies begin.

Today is the first day of fall. I love fall, it’s my favorite season. Last year, one of my blogging friends took a beautiful photograph of a dirt road in Minnesota bordered on each side by trees dressed in bright sunshine-yellow leaves. He accompanied the photo with this haiku — “Generous trees are dropping their golden coins to enrich the soil.” Such simple words captured in a wondrous photograph. I love the imagery of the leaves being golden coins, dropping off when the branches get heavy. I hear their soft melodies as they hit the ground, piling up around the trees. “A fallen leaf is nothing more than a Summer’s wave goodbye,” Unknown.

Fall is so rich in beautiful foliage. I love all the changing colors of the trees and the deep blue of the sky. I love the deep orange pumpkins, the yellow and purple mums, the colorful bonnets of the pansy blooms. I love when it’s cool enough for a thick cardigan but not coat weather yet. I love watching Mother Nature pick up her watercolor brushes and begin coloring the old oaks and maple trees on my street.

The rhythm of nature governs the earth and brings us the changing seasons. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Just as the earth goes through different seasons, our lives have periods of growth and change, too. God sends different seasons to our lives, helping mold us into who he wants us to be. He tests our faith with trials and tribulations and showers us with his grace teaching us to trust in his love and faithfulness.

I love these words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 — “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.”

All of these “times” are parts of our life’s seasons of spiritual growth. We need to be patient waiting for God’s blessings but no matter what stage we’re in Gods want us to live with joy. God also wants us to be careful and thoughtful on what we sow. The Apostle Paul taught “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” If we sow kindness we’ll harvest kindness but if we choose to sow seeds of hate and dishonesty we’ll reap seeds of the same. “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully,” Corinthians 9:6.

The choices we make each day dictate our life and impact tomorrow and beyond. We should choose to sow our seeds with God’s love. We have opportunities to spread seeds of faith each day, seeds that can grow and blossom, bringing others into the kingdom of heaven. God calls us to be “sowers of seeds.” Let’s be conscious every day of finding ways to sow God’s seeds of love and righteousness.

“Of all the seasons, Autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him.” – Hal Borland