It was the year the new development went in on the other side of the hill. It wasn’t that large, only 5 houses or so, but it destroyed about 10 acres of open woodlands. The deer that used to live there, driven out of their habitat began coming down into our yards. That was the same year I decided I wanted tulips. Little did I realize so did the deer.
Now I have narcissus. Planting narcissus in October is a statement of hope, not only that I will be here in the spring to see them but that as a society we will tackle important issues and problems we face. Fall planting is a statement of faith that we will have a future in spite of saber rattling of small minded autocrats.
When cleaning and restoring gravestones several weeks ago, I looked closely at the names of men, women, and, yes, children, who had died in the past. How did they live? What were their hopes and dreams? Did they plant narcissus in the fall to bloom in the coming spring?
Prayer for the Day
Eternal One, who holds us in the palm of your hand,
Be with us this day and always as we seek your Presence;
As the earth around us turns to rest, may we plant seeds of hope
For the spring that will surely follow the winter.
May our lives reflect an active hope as we work for justice,
Knowing that without justice peace will not follow.
In the name of the One who sows seeds in our hearts,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like Silence, listening
To silence, for no lonely bird would sing, into his hollow ear from woods forlorn.
- Thomas Hood, British poet, from Autumn (1798-1845)
The leaves fall patiently/Nothing remembers or grieves The river takes to the sea/The yellow drift of leaves."
- Sara Teasdale, American poet (1884-1933)
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south, an goes around to the north,
Round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full;
To the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow.
Ecclesiastes 1: 4-7