Fall is quickly becoming my favorite season– the apples, the leaves beginning to change, the pumpkins, the cooler weather.  I relished the feel of this season yesterday as we spent a couple of hours prepping and planting our beds. 

There is just something about this process for fall that moves me as I pull enormously large summer plants from the ground that are finally spent and tired from their 5 months of work.  It is time to clear them out of the way, to trim back, and to prepare the ground for other plants and flowers. 

As we worked yesterday in the 60 degree weather, I felt a chill at times in my shorts and short sleeve shirt.  The weather, like the work we were doing, reminded me of the new season and what is on the horizon– bursts of beautiful color, followed by empty branches, cold weather, and shorter days.  Part of me is sad to tell summer weather good-bye, but I know it is time to embrace the new seasons in front of me– fall and winter. 

Leaving in a place with four seasons makes me appreciate the rhythm of nature’s cycles so much more.  Nature mirrors our own lives– new growth, full bloom, trimming back, and rest.  There is much of me that feels I am in fall, and ready to rest a bit in my winter haven. 

What do nature’s seasons say to you?
As we move into fall, how does this season resonate with your own life right now?
Are you ready to let go of a “summer season”?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.