Winds of Change

By Elece Hollis

Sun slants into my room, making light places on the floor,

on the furniture, but no warm places.

It is a winter sun,

nearly an hour late,

likely to be gone by early afternoon.

The sky is clear, a slate gray, the trees bare and dark

against it. The hummingbirds are gone,

moved south to places where flowers still bloom.

Crows caw at the leaden sky,

arguing among themselves.

There is no garden left for them to plunder.

The first frost has blackened it,

the cold winds of October have dried it. We have pulled up the tomato stakes and mowed.

I am glad to live in a place

with a definite change of seasons! It is a great joy

to see the first signs of spring poking

green spears from the earth.

Then after a long summer of simmering heat

and vibrant green growing,

it comes as a relief to feel cooler shorter days of autumn

with brown leaves falling.

It refreshes and heals to have a winter of cold and snow following. Father God, I do need change.

Help me to explore and enjoy all the seasons of my life.

Teach me to accept and learn to love change in all the activities, callings and

the structures of my days.