A New Season

Well it's been a while.
A long while.

I'll spare you the apologies and excuses... that is assuming someone (anyone?) out there still reads this blog. It would appear the last time I wrote was in August. Oddly enough until about two weeks ago the weather here in Seattle was fairly familiar to the sweet summer we had this year. One day the thermometer read around 70˚F with the sunshine gleaming through the yellow tinged leaves... the next the sky was grey, the breeze was brisk, and suddenly my breath was visible as I walked to my car in the morning.
Summer dresses make way for scarves and sweaters (okay that's not entirely true... summer dresses just require a little more accessorizing - a.k.a. cardigans and cowboy boots). Salad-filled plates are replaced by big bowls of slow-simmered stew.
I love summer. But boy am I ever excited for fall!

Funny thing is I used to hate this time of year. For good reasons...

Orange, yellow and brown. The colors of fall. The colors of 1970's kitchens. Yuck.
Fall also signified the end of freedom and the beginning of a long arduous school-year. Gone were the days of sleeping in. Gone were the days of daylight. Darkness creeped over and soon enough I'd wake before the sun (Yeah, this doesn't happen anymore, praise Jesus! Although I really do need to work on being more of an early bird if you know what I mean). The only redeeming qualities of fall in my mind were that we got to "fall behind," gaining an extra hour of sleep, and I always got to celebrate quite a few family-filled holidays. Oh how I love sleep. Haha!

Well now I see things differently. I look forward to the crisp air, and the falling leaves. I'm excited to bundle up in big wooly sweaters and tromp through the rain and mud-puddles in my Hunters. My stomach seems to crave anything and everything that contain the words "pumpkin" or "braised." Now a days, fall brings brighter things to mind. Fall conjures cozy and comfy Sunday afternoons spent with my family and the people I love.

Sure the hot summer sun is gone and with it the long days of laying out in my swimsuit on the sailboat.  The neon green is being replaced by mellow yellows and rusty hues, and very soon all will wither away into a cold dormant existence. We are witnessing the sunset of creation. In a way we're seeing a slow and beautiful death play out right before our eyes... every day a little more is stripped away.
Sounds a bit depressing, eh?

But it's not. It's glorious! It's full of promise. Full of hope. Because with every sunset darkness follows but so does the dawn. With every fall comes a winter and then a spring. Death to life. The old makes way for the new. Seasons change, and change can be hard. It can hurt. But it's only because the surrendering renders room for something far greater than could ever be imagined or anticipated.

Fall is for fresh starts. It's a new season... in so many ways. And I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store. He has great things. I believe it!

And it's good to be back.

Much, much more to follow...

Jessika

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19