Spirit of Life, Source and Sustainer of all:
Now is the time of brilliant leaves against blue sky,
scudding clouds on the horizon,
shortening days.
As leaves fall, we become aware
of how temporary all things are,
and how beautiful.
We realize how small we are
in the face of the great mystery
that is life and death.
This being human is not easy:
being alive and knowing we have to die,
loving our world and knowing
its terrible pain.
How can we cope?
Perhaps if we breathe.
Perhaps if we lean a little
toward someone sitting next to us.
Perhaps if we think of a brilliant red maple leaf,
twirling down from the very top of a tall tree,
all the way to the ground.
Perhaps if we remember that this brief time
of being alive
is our one chance
to really love,
and our one chance
to heal what is wrong here.
Perhaps if we remember
that when we are finished,
we are gathered back into You–
like the leaf that lives
and then falls in a flash of scarlet
to become part of the whole again,
and nourish new life.
Blessed be.