Light And Leaves

There is something remarkable about Autumn. As the world prepares to hibernate, the trees go out in almost a flame of glory. Reds, oranges and yellows explode all around our neighborhood.... unless of course you come to our house. Here, all of our trees decide annually that their leaves should turn an ugly shade of brown. Before falling to the ground, they curl up and die on the branch itself, too lazy to make the plummet to earth while they're still alive.

Everywhere else in our neighborhood though, the leaves still showing off are the yellow ones. I'm curious if this is the case every year and I haven't noticed, or if in fact yellow leaves stay on their branches - with pride - the longest. But this was the year I noticed, and I applaud their tenacity. While a yellow tree in the Chicago suburbs on Halloween is a normal sight, a yellow tree one week before Thanksgiving is almost a miracle.

Thank you, dear trees, for the reminder that light, in all its yellow-hued beauty, can be persistent. As the darkness that cloaks our evenings comes earlier and earlier each day, we must absorb the light into our very soul. 

Psalm 4:6 beseeches God, "let the light of your face shine upon us," and this is my prayer as we head into the long winter ahead. The world outside our warm home will appear grey for months, and yet, His light remains steadfast. 

In place of these yellow-hued miracles which will soon lose their battle to winter, I find other ways to bring the light back. I order more window candles to illuminate our home at Christmas. I buy candles in glitter golds, moss greens, bright purples, and loud reds to light as we celebrate birthdays. As we open God's Word each night, we light small chunky candles and turn off the lights overhead to notice the individual flames, dancing in delight. Skinny candles made just for our menorah fill the darkness with magic around Hanukkah. 

These small gestures mock the darkness, sending it back into the night where it belongs. Though the yellow leaves lengthened our Autumn, the grey sky today reminds me that soon, they will also fall. Yet we remain steadfast in seeking His light in whatever form it may come, knowing that though the nights lengthen and seasons change, His steady gaze illuminates our path into the long dark winter ahead.