Seasons or Cycles?

Fall has begun.  It is my favorite season.  It represents harvest and the relief that comes after the crop is gathered in.  It means we can celebrate and party till spring.  The only hard part now is feeding cows and making sure the calves don't get in the fence.  We have to put out hay two or three times a week, and check the cows every day to make sure none of them get down.

The year is dependent on these seasons of planting and harvest; life has that too.  The seasons come and go with their special flavors and moods and rhythms.  Life does that too.  I am have entered the autumn of my life.  There are still things I have to do and obligations I have to attend to, but most of the feeding and chores are over for me.  My kids are grown now, so I don't have much of the real raising of a family to take care of anymore.  My husband has beat me to Glory, so I don't even have him to share the last tasks with.

What is there that graces my life now?  I still yearn to study and understand the new stuff.  See?  I have this computer I'm still trying to figure out.  I studied Latin a couple of years ago, and I still read it sometimes.  I'm not any good at it, but it does inspire me.  I have taken up the study of Hebrew.  Now there is a life long task, but I'm too late to do much with it.  So here I am in autumn with the crisp, new feel of the season on my skin, and the odor of burning leaves in the air.  I want to continue the joy of life, but I know that winter and the long sleep is next.  My only option is to enjoy the fall as long as I can.