Celebrate Change!

(Posted October 4, 2023)

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
― Lauren DeStefano, American Young Adult Author

Just outside my window, the first of our oak trees has turned a shade of gold that would make King Midas blush with envy.

I’m pretty sure that the old adage that involves “turning over a new leaf” was probably first coined in the month of October. It has to do with choosing to have a new attitude or behavior. When I was around eight years old, my mother had been trying to get me to modify the level of neatness in my room. One day I marched out to her and proudly announced, “I’ve changed my leaf!”

The New-ness of Autumn

Childhood mispronunciations aside, autumn is a time to celebrate change, rather than regret it. Just like us as we age, the autumn season of our lives can come alive with the colors of new attitudes, new interests or simply a new appreciation for all the gifts of nature that have been around us, but never truly appreciated.

This Sunday is Jazz Sunday. We will not only have the Doug Hartline Quintet boosting our morning spirit, but we’ll be taking a look at the wonderful, God-given mysteries of nature. Then at 3 PM at Candlewood Lake during the Pets In The Park event, I’ll be doing blessings for both pets and “pet parents,” plus giving out treat bags for dogs and cats.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the next Sunday, October 15, when we will hold a Cultural Celebration of the Filipino Community in our church and in our city. The Filipino Folk Dancers will give us a sample of their joy in movement during the service!

We invite you to come and enjoy an awesome Autumn day. ---Pastor Pat Kriss