Change is Good

I still live in the town where I was born... in a neighborhood that hasn't seen much change since my dad's high school days (1938-42). All my furniture came from my grandmother, and I am the family archives' official curator. There is a great amount of stability in keeping life the same. When I sit on a chair, open a drawer, or eat from my silver spoon, I feel the continuity of my lineage.

I try not to be boring. I re-arrange my furniture with great regularity. Moving things around makes me think I am getting something new. I have had fun pulling dressers out of bedrooms and plopping them unexpectedly in the middle of the house. My grandmother would think this placement would not be proper... it makes me feel like the rebel I am not.

I am known for painting everything. I paint the walls, the floors, the kitchen countertops, and the furniture. A while back, I painted a Victorian couch... defiantly under Grandmother Worthington's nose and all-seeing eyes, her crackled painted mouth smirked unapprovingly. I can report the universe didn't explode and, now, I actually enjoy the piece.


Do you think I look like Grandmother Worthington... minus the cracked mouth?


Still... I have always had trouble turning life's page into autumn. Fall is a season which comes just before "death". This time of the year makes me very reflective. Spring is a celebration of newness, but autumn is a final burst of harvest and color before colorless winter calls us to the quiet withdrawal and the darkness of shortening days. I've done this season-thing for 50 plus years now, so I know what is ahead... change.

Guess what? The leaves are going to fall, whether I like it or not. Change is coming. Will I embrace it and change myself to meet its challenges... or will I wear flip flops in winter and look like a fool? I do have a choice.

My 5 month old puppy is getting big!


Change.


Yesterday I decided to embrace autumn by walking down my favorite neighborhood path.


Change of Season.


Then, I stopped to enjoy the tranquil sounds of birds and think a bit about how I can embrace change, not deny it.


Change of Attitude.

There are changes everywhere. Season. Season of life. Our country. The world. I know I am not the only one feeling it.

I have to confess: I have read the end of the book.

I know what will be, and I find comfort in my knowledge.

"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me... I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end,"

At the very same time, I am in hearty agreement with Martin Luther when he said, " If I knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, I would plant a tree today."