Pastor’s Page
November 2013
This has been one of the prettiest falls in recent memory. We’ve had several still crisp days with nothing but clear blue skies. There have been actual leaf colors for an extended period of time. The reds are redder and the yellows yellower. I’ve even witnessed several trees whose leaves just fell straight down like a leaf shadow on the ground.
Having grown up in Nebraska, I don’t expect much from fall. Lots of years, it lasted around three days. You could go from 90 degrees to a snow storm in 12 hours time. And a lot of those snow storms knocked all the leaves down in one fail swoop. Other years, the rain and wind took fall and blew it to South Dakota before we really got a chance to get a good look at it.
This year we’ve been given a long slow soak of fall. We’ve eased into a gradual transition toward winter. It almost makes you think that if fall is this good, then maybe winter can’t be that bad! Almost!
But we high plains weather survivors never forget bad weather. It sticks with us. When some transplanted southerner comes in from an October blizzard and says, “Have you ever seen it like this in October?” We say, “Oh, yea, I’ve seen worse!”
So it’s this good weather that un-nerves us. We’re afraid that if we smile with deep sighs; soaking in the deep angle of the sun too much, we’ll be punished for that later.
But this year I invite you to join me and go against those weather survivor instincts. Sneak in some true appreciation and gratitude for these days framed by geese in the sky and a carpet of deep colored leaves on the ground. Take an extra second to burn the memory of that flaming red tree into your brain. After all, you and I both know that it could be years before we ever get to see that sight again.
Grace & Peace,
Rev. Kelly
