NOVEMBER CHANGES
“You change just like the weather,” is a line from one of my favorite songs by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Change is, of course, part of the fabric of human experience. Countless songs, poems and essays have been written on change, proof positive that the topic occupies all of us with regularity! “A change would do you good”…”A change is gonna come”…”Times, they are a changin”…are a few songs that come to mind…and too many poems to choose from as examples, so because November ‘s changes are prompting this writing, I choose Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Change Upon Change.”
Five months ago the stream did flow,
The lilies bloomed within the sedge,
And we were lingering to and fro,
Where none will track thee in this snow
As I get ready to flip the calendar page from October to November, the longing for things NOT to change is uppermost in my mind. As much as I love the changing seasons, I often begin by resisting the inevitable. Time is going to change this coming weekend, perhaps for the last time, as we set our clock back an hour. Light therefore will change too: less of it come late afternoon! Temperatures are getting colder…we change our clothing here in the Northeast to warmer and comfy choices…and choose comfort foods like stews and chowders. Even our conversations change a bit from carefree summer and early fall pleasures to guesses as to when the first snow fall will occur, or when to cover plants against a frost!
There are at the same time movements and changes in my soul while all this takes place. My inner being reacts to the change in the light, and shadows coming on sooner in the day. The tone, the setting and the flavor of my prayer life changes too. I move from my summertime prayer space on the screened porch to my living room by the wood stove. And as I watch the leaves fall, something way deep inside is triggered: how will my fall from life here take place someday? Will I drift down gracefully, singing as I go? Or will I resist this ultimate CHANGE, as I seem to do so often. It’s time to bring in wood, to feed the birds and other wildlife that come to my backyard dependent on what I have to offer. My resident fox and woodchuck seek a warm place to hibernate and rest for the winter. What am I bringing IN to keep my inner being warm? What nourishment do I depend on from my Provident God to keep me going? Where will I hibernate and rest this winter season?
And you? What changes are you noticing, celebrating, or resisting as we enter November? What movements in your soul and prayer life are you aware of? What songs and poems stir up for you things it’s time to reflect upon this month? Besides the time on the clock, your food choices, and your clothing, what might need to change in you, your relationships, your prayer life? I wish you time to rest and to pray and to change yourself as this month slowly introduces us to yet another season of our life! Within every change lies a chance to grow and become better!
( For more poems, songs, decorating ideas and recipes to celebrate this season of changes, please see my book, “A Seasoned Life,” available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)
