Fall on the Ridge

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry.

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky.

W. B. Yeats

Fall has finally come to the north Georgia mountains.

After a long, very dry summer, the air has begun to move again, seducing the trees to blush with color and drop their dresses of leaves. The acorns, a bumper crop, have already rained down in profusion, emptying the oaks within days of the first drop. Now dusk has that unmistakable chill to it and the air the scent of endings. Summer with all its green heaviness is over. Here on the lake, the tempo of life changes. The light is thinner, the days ending sooner. Everywhere the natural world is preparing for rest.

Where I live on the ridge above the water, my view of the seasons is up close and intimate. It's not that way for everyone. For many of us the lives we have created for ourselves have little time or opportunity for connection to the natural world. Not all of that is bad, but I am reminded of a recent drive home after a long day in the city. It was dusk and as I sat in traffic I heard the unmistakable discordant note of sandhill cranes. I looked up through the top of my windshield and there, streaming across the horizon for all to see, were 50 or so cranes calling to each other as they headed south. I glanced around in excitement, but everyone around me was insulated within their cars. No one else appeared to be witnessing this ancient oddessey. It was a poignant moment. I thought of all these folks, listening to their radios, or CD's, thinking about their day, what to cook for supper, getting kids to soccer or dance, worrying or just simply feeling tired. And what moved me was that here in front of them, was a bit of wonder and beauty that might lift them up. It's there all the time. It's not always as spectacular as a flock of sandhills, but it is still there in all its loveliness, shimmering and waiting for us to notice. I believe when we do notice, something quickens and is nourished in us.

As Fall brightens with each passing day, I hope you will find a moment here and there to witness her pageant. It's all around us--a stand of turning trees along your drive to work, a pile of bright leaves on your front sidewalk, the color of the sky in the early evening shadows. Let your heart have this gift so freely given, and be lifted up.