Fall
If you’d asked me not that long ago, I would have said my favorite season is summer, but
over the past year that’s changed. Maybe part of it is the fact that I’ve just spent my first summer
in Kansas City since moving here last fall, and it has been exceptionally hot. (Of course, Chicago
summers were hot too, but at least at my old apartment in that area, I had Lake Michigan within
walking distance.)
This year, I’m really just looking forward to fall, which may have taken summer’s place
as my favorite season—I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures, the leaves on the trees in my
neighborhood turning orange, and the ability to enjoy hot drinks again. I’m even looking forward
to cozy evenings as it gets dark earlier and earlier (as long as I have my Vitamin D gummies to
keep me sane through the darkest months).
Something else about fall is that it’s a season of transformation and change, of things
coming to an end and of new beginnings. My internship with WHOSOEVER is coming to a
close in about a month and a half, and I already find myself reflecting on how much I have
learned and grown because of this community. This week classes for my Master of Theological
Studies program are just beginning. My partner and I are talking about renewing our lease for
another eighteen months. I’m looking ahead at opportunities for my next field placement, and
future career opportunities. I’m settling into new relationships, and continuing to cultivate old
ones.
Maybe fall is a time of change, of endings and new beginnings, for you this year too. I
invite you to lean into it. To have some quiet time, reflection, and to look ahead at many things
to come.