Here in New England, autumn is upon us. The warm summer days are fading into crisp cool mornings and a brilliant display of fall color.
I love the fall, as the leaves turn and give us an inspiring and stunning display of how beautiful change can be. The bright green leaves transition into a rainbow of color: red, orange, purple and yellow. It is indeed a feast for the eyes.
The leaves go through their natural process and inspire us as they make their transition.
Even their fluttering off the trees is beautiful. They gracefully float and twirl as they fall from the trees and journey to the ground. Wind can make this show even more dramatic as the leaves are propelled through the air and create a colorful frenzy of swirling color.
I'm always reminded during autumn of the lesson of the leaves. There can be beauty in the letting go.
We, as humans, we seem to struggle with the process of change and letting go. We cling and hold on to what is and often resist the process of change and the inevitable endings that are a part of life.
The leaves are dying as their color changes. Their life of service to the tree is coming to an end, and their life is coming to an end. They will ultimate fall to the earth and disintegrate into dust. Yet, as they make this sacrifice, they give us a gorgeous display in the process. They demonstrate the beauty that is possible in the process of letting go.
We do not need to deny the pain that is often a part of change and endings. To the contrary, it is important to allow ourselves to feel our feelings and move through them as we go through transition and endings. Yet, the lesson of the leaves is that even in the midst of an ultimate ending, we can experience beauty and inspiration.
My hope for you, this autumn, is that you embrace the lesson of the leaves, and practice allowing change and transition to unfold in your life with grace, beauty and peace.
