The Harvest to Come

I have shared this little donkey with you once before. He always makes me smile as he gets moved around the lawn of its home day after day. This morning, the little donkey had not only moved, but he had brought something with him to his newest location. This guy is in the holiday spirit. A donkey and a jack-o-lantern equals party on this block.

One of the joys of my neighborhood is that it is teeming with children, which means that parents go all out on holiday decorations. I can already tell that I will be loving this month of October. I will no doubt be sharing pictures of all manner of Halloween creatures and displays. It will be a fun trip into the heart of Fall.

The change of the season reminds me that this was my favorite time of year during my childhood. The vibrant colors of the leaves. The subtle hints each morning of cold weather to come. Trick or Treating. Sweaters and jackets. Football with friends. The smell of burning leaves. Hiking and sleeping under the stars. Though I no longer burn leaves or sleep under the stars, my love for Fall remains.

Fall is harvest time. For those still tied closely to the land, it is the gathering up of what has been a year of hard work. I think that the image of the harvest is imprinted on our collective memory no matter how far removed we may be from agrarian life. There is something about reaching a moment of fulfillment that also serves as the marking of a new beginning. Such moments offer closure on one hand and hope on the other.

The Psalmist writes, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” This year has been a year of tears and weeping for so many. All the inevitable struggles of life have been magnified by the pandemic while fear and anger so often seem to rule the day. We need this scene, painted so beautifully by the Poet, to become real for each of us.

May this little festive donkey and this cool morning remind me that the harvest will come. May they help me believe that tears will turn to joy. May the memories they bring remind me that God has never left me alone through the many changes of my seasons already past.

Peace.