The falling leaves are waving goodbye to Summer but Summer has turned her back on Fall. Maybe Summer is waiting for a formal bon voyage party with the leaves dressed in their gowns of glorious Autumn colors. She’s being stubborn this September. It’s hot on my porch even with the box fan.

The magnolias have dropped a few heavy brown leaves this morning. The leaves are running down the street in the breeze, their claps on the cement sounding like children’s tennis shoes slapping the street. I love the magnolia trees in my neighborhood. They were the best climbing trees of my childhood. When my mama was sitting in the porch swing, I’d climb to the very top of a magnolia across the street and soon as I went as far as I could, I’d holler out, “Hey, Mama!” Never failed, she’d walk to the front street curb and tell me, “Get down before you break your neck.”

If that didn’t rile her enough, I’d yell, “Mama, watch this,” and I’d walk up the neighbors’ ten concrete steps backwards on my stilts. She probably went back in the house after that. After all those excursions, I’d hop on my unicycle and head for the city library, pedaling home with four books in each arm. Those were the good old days. Riding a stationary bike now but enjoy the three wheel bikes on vacations with my grandchildren.

Magnolia trees are ancient, existing millions of years ago with the dinosaurs. I always call the magnolias harbingers of spring, dressing in their beautiful snow white blossoms and glossy dark green leaves, perfuming the air with promises of the coming spring. We southerners look at the magnolias as symbols of luck and stability, nobility and purity. The magnolia trees’ blossoms, in colors of white and pink, symbolize righteousness and a pure heart.

The magnolia trees here stand straight and tall, dressed in their dark green, dignified and impressive, majestically towering over the neighborhood water oaks, holding strong in nature’s winds and rains. The trees are now covered in their velvet brown seeds pods, all bursting with large red seeds, a feast for the birds and squirrels.

We can look at the magnolias strength and endurance as a metaphor for enduring the trials and tribulations of life through our deep rooted faith in God. Just as the magnolia provides a shady place to rest, we rest in the arms of God’s grace, comforted with the promise of eternal life. Biblical scripture doesn’t specifically mention the magnolia but trees are depicted as symbols of strength and perseverance. God stands tall with us in adversity and provides us a source of strength through our prayers when life is hard. Bible scripture in James 1:2-4 reads, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The majesty of the magnolia reminds us of the constant love and provision of God, its evergreen nature symbolizing eternal life. The beauty of the snow white magnolia blossom speaks of God’s divine love and the beauty of his creation.

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful… Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson