Dear Friends,

Are there smells and flavors you most enjoy in autumn? Do you have favorite autumn activities?

What do you see in the brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows of autumn? Do you see a marvelous painting? The bright bushes remind me of God’s call to Moses and the Pentecost flames connecting all of us through God’s Spirit. I am grateful for stories that ground me in the midst of so much shifting. 

The changing of the leaves usually reminds me most of the constancy that I find in God. Everything changes except God’s love which endures forever. God’s compassion never fails. I find my hope and strength in this, dear friends. Where do you find your hope and strength in these days of pandemics?

This year I’ve also been asked – what do I need to let go of? What do I need to release? As I watch the leaves fall to the ground, are there things that I need to surrender to God, or things that I need to surrender to God again because I’ve let them go and then picked them back up?

There so many changes and questions in these times. May you find comfort in knowing that we are not alone. It is okay to feel whatever you are feeling. May we take time to breathe, to seek God, and to share God’s love with others. 

“O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good, for God’s steadfast love endures forever.” 

Psalm 136:1