The Moments of Today

There’s a definite chill in the air.  The leaves are yellowing and falling off of the trees.  The grass is turning brown.  Days are much shorter.  And nature is beginning the process of yet another winter of slumber and hunkering down against the cold that is sure to come.

We humans also prepare for the winter to come.  We get out the hot chocolate, break out the sweaters and winter clothes, and make sure the car has the right level of antifreeze in it.  We bring in sensitive plants, roll up our garden hoses, and find books to read and games to play during the long winter nights.

But all is not quiet in nature.  Winter birds take over territory previously occupied by their summer friends.  Turkey, deer, and other animals stay all winter, foraging on what is left over from the summer growing season.  Other animals burrow underground or hibernate for the winter so they can be ready for the coming spring.

It is, or rather should be, a time for people to remain active as well.  There are school plays, basketball games, and other winter sports.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and the long winter months of January and February are broken up by winter trips, playing in the snow, and enjoying the cold weather.

There are places on the earth that are perpetually cold.  There other places that are perpetually warm.  But there is a huge swath of the earth that is, as we say, temperate.  The climate changes from warm to cold and back again.  There is a definite change of seasons and with it changes in human activities, moods, and feelings.  S.A.D. or Seasonal Affective Disorder is real.

We can go outside and look at the brown grass, the bare trees, and the cold breeze, and long for spring.  And I do that sometimes.  But I can learn to appreciate the autumn season and the winter that comes after.  I can also appreciate the God who in His wisdom made it this way and called His creation good.

I have to also remember that I have many more winters in my past than I will have in my future.  There will come a day when I’ll no longer be concerned about the leaves falling or the extreme cold.  And that day will come for me sooner than later.  I must cherish the moments of today and the promises of God for tomorrow…and understand that I am on a journey toward forever.  And it’s what I do and think in this life in this time that will determine just how I will experience that forever.