The Season of Letting Go

“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” -unknown

I’m reflecting on that today.

Two years ago, fall ushered in the golden ginkgo leaves in Chengdu. It was such a beautiful, breathtaking display.

This year, we woke up to our second fall in South Texas. A second of something in this place. Although we don’t have the bright colors of the Ginkgo trees in Chengdu, or the Aspens in the Rocky Mountains or the bursting display of color in the Missouri Ozarks, there is a slight chill in the air, and blankets are being drug to the porch.

The birds are putting on a show as they migrate through our city. My eyes are caught upwards as they spiral down to land for a break at the wetlands across the street.

In our yard, the rabbits and chickens seem to take on new life as they frolic in response to the break from the oppressive heat.

There is excitement in the air. An expectation of what is to come. I light a candle and a boy bounces downstairs in response to the scent that whispers that fall is here.

The rhythm of the changes in seasons causes me to pause and reflect on what needs to change in my life. What do I want to take with me into this next season, and what do I need to leave behind? This particular season comes riddled with the oppressive weight of COVID, politics, and unrest. I squirm at the hint of conflict, so I have been squirming a lot lately. But, I’m learning to balance gratitude for what was, while trusting the Lord as I push forward into the unknown and uncertainty of what is next. I’m asking the question, what do I need to let go of in order to make room for something new?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬