I think November may be the quietest month of the church year.
There are no new programs beginning for the fall.
High school games are done with their regular seasons.
Most confirmation Sundays are in October or April.
The first three Sundays are pretty low in attendance due to deer hunting season.
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter... all of them still a hopeful planning distance away.
In the north country, November doesn't bring an end to autumn, that has long since been over. There are no more colors on the trees, or in the distances. Harvest has long since been over as has all the canning activities that go with it.
So November is the stark month. There is no beautiful blanket of snow to cover the brown grass or muddy trails. There are few holiday lights decorating houses (thank God) for the first part of the month.
The landscape is bare, the air is cold, the wind carries woodsmoke, the land has gone into hibernation.
It is quiet, and it is absolutely beautiful.
3 comments:
The starkness you describe actually sounds inviting, although I know I'd go crazy after a few minutes. I bet you can see beauty in a lot of places that look stark to others.
Ah, dear friend who finds the beauty of God's creation in even the coldest and darkest days. Thank you for your words and continued reflections. What I wouldn't give to sit with a good cup of coffee and you by my side. Just be in the landscape of the northwoods late autumn. AF
I live in the NW so we still are losing the golden, orange and red leaves. But they are almost gone. I wish Nov. was quieter...nothing like a Stewardship drive to liven things up =) Blessings to you.
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