In Awe of Autumn

I think autumn might just be my favourite season. Although I say that about every season when each one starts. There’s something about a change in the season that is utterly joyful and frankly, pretty exciting. And autumn always feels like the biggest change of them all. It rarely seems to come on gradually. Instead you look out of the window one day and realise it’s arrived.

So this year I was excited to unpack my ugg boots, snood and cape, to dust off my cosy jumpers and warm blankets, and to venture out into a riot of colours and textures. Being on maternity leave has given me some more time to enjoy the season this year, quite simply because I get to be out and about while it’s still light rather than feeling like I’m chained to a computer screen at work. I’ve been able to crunch through leaves, marvel at the golds and reds appearing on my walks and take in the sheer beauty that is my home town in the autumn. Even in the rain autumn is beautiful – it’s not yet too cold and the rain, when it falls heavily, brings a delightful counterbalance to the brilliantly sunny autumn days.

My son helps me to spot new joys in this season too, as its arrived just as he’s learnt to point excitedly at birds and dogs, helping me to pause a little longer and simply enjoy his excitement at our small patch of England. Sometimes he’s just pointing out the trees, and to be honest, they are so stunning at the moment that he’s right to pause and drink them in.

A friend of mine has also (unknowingly) been helping me to take pleasure in this season. He takes photos when outside in nature (the photo at the top of this page is one of his), and almost without fail every photo captures something new about the joy of this season. He spots little moments of beauty that most of us just don’t see. And that’s really what I’m thinking about today – spotting tiny moments of beauty and making a point of noticing them.

These moments of beauty are perhaps easiest to see in nature, but they are there in all aspects of our lives. When my husband sees I’m tired and says, let me take tonight, allowing me a full night of sleep without having to resettle a baby. When a friend notices that you’re struggling and brings round a meal. When a complete stranger pays for your coffee or simply holds the door when you’re carrying too much. When someone makes a choice to deal only with ethical clients, or to use something reusable rather than disposable. Or perhaps moments that are even more fleeting – when a child places his head on his great grandmother’s lap because he feels safe there or when a friend squeezes your hand because they want you to know they get that you might be suffering.

Each moment of human kindness or natural beauty feels good for the soul. It prepares us for what’s to come or revives us after what has passed. Autumn feels to me like it does both of those. It’s a moment of drinking in cool water, to refresh us after the heat of summer, and it’s a chance to pause and see some stunning beauty and warm colours before what will for many be a long and tough winter.

As I type this I can glance out of my window to see our tree laden with red berries not yet taken by the birds, and further back another, much larger, tree resplendent in golden leaves. Blue skies with wispy clouds promise another gorgeous sunset in an hour or so. It’s not the most exotic view, but it’s good for the soul.

So if you’ve not been outside in the light for a few days, why not get out this weekend and see the best that autumn has to offer. And while you’re at it, take a look for the best that humanity has to offer. Take a moment to notice God’s awesome kindness in the people you see.