November 3, 2021

Weekly Reflection – Brilliant Autumn Leaves

(I share this Reflection, Brilliant Autumn Leaves, each year in the early autumn, about the time the leaves in the northern hemisphere begin to change color.  So, here it is!)

A few years ago, my wife and I enjoyed a ten-day trip to New England, where we were able to experience the brilliance of a colorful landscape made even more so by the changing colors of the leaves. Many people travel there in the Fall just to enjoy the foliage’s transformation. The locals call us “leaf peepers.” We “peep” at the changing colors but often overlook the sacrifice it took to generate the view. You see, before long, the colorful leaves (which were recently a vibrant green) will continue their transformation, fall to the ground, and turn gray before they decompose and return to the earth from which they came.

On this trip, we had enjoyed a rented house in Vermont. I loved to just stroll down the country paths, taking it all in. On one afternoon, the brilliance of the sunlight’s streaming through the leaves so stunned me that I was inspired to write the following poem in honor of those who have traveled ahead of us. And, in the autumn of their lives, exude a similar brilliance.

Are some of these folk part of your life today? If so, let them (this week) know that they are noticed. They will be blessed…and so will you.

Brilliant Autumn Leaves

I looked up at the New England maple thru which streamed 

red hewed beams of light from a mid afternoon sun.

Mental corneas refocused in response to enhanced color.

Red, yellow, and shades in between.

And I exclaimed with awe,

“How brilliant are the autumn leaves when the sun shines through them!”

And then I thought of those Christian servants who, 

in the autumn of their lives, “glow”

as the brilliance of ‘the’ Son shines through their fading, used up bodies.

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of Your servants,

glowing ever more brightly in the autumn of their Son-filled life.