Misty Morning Yesterday
Last week I wrote about the Pre-Fall Sunday I awoke to; the leaves dressing in their autumn colors, the dance beginning as they twirled down to the ground, as you can see it was a sunny day and it was all just starting. Going through the week and arriving at Sunday again, this time a misty morning, as I went out to capture the new day, it was an ever so fine mist that greeted me, but you could see on the table and outdoor furniture where the misty drops had started to join forces and everything seemed to be damp in the humid start of the day. The leaves have added up in a week; as they continue changing back to their colorful state and taking a leap to signal the end of another season of life.
The progression of the fall, letting go one by one; piling up.
Looking through the mist above the trees, an ever so slight streak of light forcing its way through; I thought about the message He is sending through the changes around us. Of course in sending them He gives us the opportunity to interpret in our own life what that message might be; or even if we feel it is time to listen to it. Is it one of needed rest and a time to slow down; or perhaps it is one of letting go. As I watch a leaf slowly glide from the tight grasp it had, all that time on the limb of the tree, the tree it depended on; I wonder what it thought the purpose of the tree was in its life. I watch as leaf by leaf the pile grows and I think all that letting go so gracefully and so natural and a part of a planned, intended cycle.
What message are you getting? As you gaze up in that mist, we know high above the trees, its Messenger. Are we prepared to listen, is it the right time for that message? If it is one of letting go; can we let go as gracefully as the leaf? In our case not to end up in a pile that will be swept away having served a purpose; but instead, to be swept towards something different or new? Now I am afraid of heights and the thought of being on a high branch and just simply letting go to float gracefully to the ground, well that has no appeal for me; but as I look into the mist, I find strength in knowing that perhaps the message could be for me this misty morning.
Now I am known for being a master at making up words in songs. My voice sang out at parties and in the car, before karaoke ever came around to show you the correct lyrics as you sang; in fact, inventions are solutions to problems, so the aggravation and eye rolling at my mixing up song lyrics could very well have been why karaoke machines were invented! Again, another digression that may be a future post. So as I was thinking about the title I chose today, I could hear it lyrically in my head. "It was misty morning yesterday, I was up before the dawn..." Yes, I knew as I sang it in my head that those weren't the exact lyrics; and it gets more complicated, because as a fan of "The Office", Michael sings his own version of the song to bid his nemesis, Toby, adieu. It might be fun to cheers with your bf when you bid adios to the Toby in your life someday ;) Yet I thought, wait, it could actually work in part; and yes I am very aware of what the song is really about; but just like poems, it's open for your own interpretation. So I am going to grab a few lyrics from the song...and use them my own way. Like "and I really have enjoyed my stay, but I must be moving on." "I will go on shining...I'll never look behind me..." What I'm thinking and the connection I'm making is the moving on, keep going, don't look back; the letting go like the leaves on the tree. Basking in the sunshine, fluttering in the wind; some giving parts of themselves to hungry caterpillars and other creatures; and they enjoyed their stay, but they must be moving on.
Pausing to take in the change of the seasons, the signs of it, do we get a message from the Messenger beyond the mist? Do we hear Him telling us, it's ok to loosen the grip or to completely let go? Have you arrived at a time in your life, where it is time to accept the season of fall, to make a change, to let go of something you love, or have done for so long it is an extension of you; is it time to find a new way to use all you have inside. You really have enjoyed your stay but you must be moving on.
I am a teacher, this year I am looking for ways to empower my learners, to give them leadership roles. It's been in preparing that journey for them that I realize we don't always give that to ourselves as adults. We don't think about moving on to give more or where we can shine as a light for many others; or to shine brand new in something we would haven't ever thought about years ago.
Sometimes our moving on isn't our own choice. Sometimes we see the cliche, writing on the wall. Sometimes we get that restless feeling; I think it's like the rustling of the leaves, the ones left before the bitter cold and snow; the ones you hear as the wind whirls around the tree, the ones who kept that tight grip on the branch. We are like that too in some cases. We hold on for many different reasons, hold on tight, hold on for dear life, hold on because it's familiar and safe.
Maybe this fall you might be hearing His message on a misty morning or as you watch the graceful twirl of a falling leaf; maybe this is your time of letting go for you. Time for moving on; what would you do if you could loosen that grip on something you'd like to change or something that isn't quite working for you? What possibilities lie beyond where you are, but more importantly what possibilities lie within you? Don't get so caught up in what others expect or what you think you must do, that you can't see the forest for the trees!
Consider the leap, consider the jump, consider the graceful twirl into something new if you're hearing the call, feeling the restlessness. Where will you be next year on a misty morning, still clinging to that same branch? If you're happy and content you just might be; but if not, maybe you'll be high up on another tree in a different place enjoying the view and deciding, nope this time I'm just going to stay put!
