It’s fall where I live in northeast Ohio. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I associate it with the harvesting of fruits and vegetables, with warm days and crisp, chilly nights, and with the trees donning their array of fall colors: bright yellow, rich orange, deep red, and subdued russet.
Yet, fall can be a melancholy season for some of us. We might even dread the shorter days, the colder temperatues, the bare trees, and the coming of snow. At the same time we might welcome the slower paced life that comes when we don our flannel shirts and cozy up at home with bowls of hearty chili and homemade soups.
Two weeks ago, I gave you a treat for your ears: “Clair de Lune.” Today, I’m giving you a treat for your eyes: a 10 minute video that showcases the stunning fall foliage in New England. I like this video because it shows us fall from afar–skimming the tree tops–and close-up, focusing at times on a single leaf. The visuals are accompanied by natural sounds–wind, water, and walking through the fallen leaves. And there’s music and silence for your ears! At the end of the video is a short ad by the filmmaker, Ally Marie Brown. You can skip the ad, of course!
For now, sit back, relax and enjoy the artistry of our Incredible Creator God!
For reflection:
How do you view the season of fall? Is it melancholic? happy? both?
Do you have a favorite activity you associate with fall?
Do you have a favorite childhood memory of fall?
Does fall make any impact upon your spiritual life? your prayer? your sense of who God is? If so, how?
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Announcing: My New Book!
I have a new book coming out soon!
It’s called Sunflower Seeds of Hope
and it’s a collection of 40 reflections from my blog over the years.
It includes reflection questions, suggested videos,
and even some of the comments from readers like YOU!
It’s due to come out in December!
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PS: I ask your prayers for a weekend retreat I’ll be leading at Villa Maria Spirituality Center in Villa Maria, PA. The theme of the retreat is “Celebrating Three Gifts of Autum: Beauty, Letting Go, and Peace.” We have about 45 participants signed up. I appreciate the support of your prayers! Thank you!
+ I hope you will share some of your thoughts on autumn below!
22 Responses
Happy fall, Sr. Melannie…
Happy fall, all!
First, congratulations on the new book! Second, thank you for the beautiful video. It captures so very well the sounds and sights of autumn. Loved it!
I live in Massachusetts and each fall we visit neighboring New Hampshire for our annual hike up Mount Gunstock. It’s been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Depending on the year, twenty to thirty family members gather at the Gunstock ski resort to hike the 2,000 foot mountain, and yes the foliage is spectacular!
Fall is that time of year when the air conditioners get put away, but the windows remain open, prompting a second blanket on the bed. The sugar maples blaze beauty before letting go, giving us a memory of color before we enter the monochromatic cold of winter. We wear sweaters or sweatshirts when we take our walks, and sometimes we can smell the incense of burning leaves. The crickets still sing, though. We hear them as we gather on the porch, a lone light above us, hot mugs in our hands, praying their song will stay, but knowing it won’t.
John, Thank you for gracing my blog with your beautiful description of your fall traditions! Melannie
You’re entirely welcome!
Dear Melannie, how wonderful on this day when the 87 year of my life begins, to settle into prayer and view this beautiful video. It brought back so many life memories of hiking trails in New Hampshire and climbing in the Presidential Range.. then to the. Other coast and the colorful cliffs and waterfalls in Yosemite. And how can I forget the trails in the Rocky River Vally so close to home in Ohio. God has blest me with such wonderful memories and I THANK YOU THIS MORNING FOR BRINGING THEM BACK. Peace and Blessings, Marla
Marla, Happy birthday to you! Yes, I know how much you loved to walk and hike. Remember how you took me to Yosemite that time I was in California? A dream come true for me! And you helped me fulfill another dream in the Muir Redwood Forest: I got to KISS a Redwood tree! It was almost like kissing God!… Have a wonderful birthday celebration, Marla! Your dear old friend, Melannie
Dear Sr Melannie, The Lord sent this video from you to me! He knew I needed it! I recently moved from Cincinnati to Florida in June. This past week I have been shedding tears due to missing the Autumn season. This is the first time in my life that I have not been in an area that has had the Autumn season and I never knew that I would miss it so much! The video was spectacular as a visual but also the wonderful sounds of the crunching of the leaves that I miss so much. I remember walking my daughter as a toddler through the leaves, having her listen intently to the sound of crunching. I think next year I will book a retreat in the autumn somewhere in Ohio or Pennsylvania to enjoy the Lord’s Blessings twofold; being on retreat and enjoying my favorite season that He created! The Lord is awesome!
Gemma, I’m so glad God inspired me to post this video today! I know if I lived in Florida, I would certainly miss Autumn too! Booking a retreat up here in the fall sounds like a good idea to me! Thanks for writing! Melannie
Yes, fall, such a mixture of feeling for me….the beginning of school which brought the smell of burning leaves through some of the open school room windows; building our floats for the homecoming parade before the football game and dance; raking up the leaves to form leaf houses before the were raked into a pile to burn….that was still legal back then….and of course, the beauty of the colors.
However, there have been several occasions of loss at this season, leaving a real hollow feeling of emptiness and sorrow. While I still enjoy the change of colors….living in Michigan, the colors are often brilliant and varied….breathtaking at times….I always have that subtls underlying feeling of death and sorrow.
The video was stunning, imagining myself in the car and walking the paths with them….some of them seeming familiar even, so thank you Sr. Melannie for the video of “the beauty of the earth” during this season of “Laudato Si”
Mary, Thank you for sharing some of your vivid memories of Fall–both the comforting ones and those tinged with sorrow… Melannie
Thank you for this beautiful fall video. It reminded me so of New York State with its vibrant fall colors, country road and running streams. Now that we live in Texas autumn is the season I think I miss the most. I even enjoyed raking leaves and of course as a kid jumping in them and even watching the burning pile of leaves later. Cherished memories of tailgating at football games with friends.
Our world is so beautiful. God has given us each season to appreciate His handiwork.
I usually have a moment in autumn when I am overcome with sadness. The first time it happened, I couldn’t connect it to anything going on in my life. Then I remembered the Hopkins poem, “Spring and Fall.” Oh. “It is the blight man was born for…” And then Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” So much beauty in fall, tinged with mortality.
Youth:
Fall football and fond recollections of teamwork among teammates are what warms my heart.
Career:
It was disappointing to start each school year and be unable to savor the vibrant maple colors that were lacking in the short season of yellow aspens of Wyoming.
Retirement:
At first, there was anxious excitement to see those vibrant maples up close and to reconnect with old friends who lived among them. As years have gone by, it may be the deep appreciation of dying gracefully that touches my soul. The full spectrum of color eventually falls to the ground and becomes soil.
May God’s Grace be with you and all the participants at this weekend’s retreat.
Giddy up & God Bless!
Barry, I was struck by your “the deep appreciation of dying gracefully”… and the reminder that the decaying leaves become soil for future growth. Thank you! Melannie
Thanks Sr. Melanie for the beautiful video. I live at St. Francis Convent inTiffin, Oh and we have beautiful autumn trees etc, but your video is so filled with beauty and the music also enhances the experience. Blessings be yours for sharing God’s beauty. With a prayer, Sr. Julie Grote.
Take me away! Thank you for the beautiful and inspiring tour of New England. I too love this time of year.
I am currently on retreat in Erie PA, “Cosmos, Christ, and Commitment: Seeking God Anew.”
Your words and video fit in perfectly!
Looking forward to seeing you here for Advent Reflection (morning).
And I look forward to coming to Erie for that Advent Reflection, Nancy! See you then! Melannie
Fall is my favorite season, but I really hate to think about winter. I live in Minnesota and we have the same colors and sounds and smells and apple orchards – without the lovely mountains.Our leaves are late changing this fall because it’s been so warm so we still have this to look forward to. I love hot chocolate and sweatshirts and warm socks – and even open windows, just a crack, at night to get fresh air in the room. Thank you for the gorgeous video and sounds.
Maybe I like fall so much because my birthday comes in early November. But I find the gorgeous colors, the pleasantly cool weather (especially after this last brutally hot summer!), the distinct smell of autumn leaves and pumpkin spice–all are, to me, gentle invitations to prayer as I marvel at the wonders of God’s creation. The video you shared took me back to the many road trips I’ve taken to the New England states and evoked the best of nemories. Thank you’!
I celebrate autumn every year. Summer is distinctly non-paradisal for me. Autumn is all things glorious. Cold rain toward late November, yes, that’s a bit of a downer. But the foliage, the ability to walk a half mile without perishing of heat-exhaustion, the revivifying chill … put me in the pro-fall column! And the faint smell of woodsmoke when one is out for an evening walk (even, sometimes, in this comparatively bustling suburb) … just a joy and a half!
Thank you Melannie for sharing. The video is breathtakingly beautiful- thanks to God.
The first days of fall are hard for me because I feel sad to have summer leaving. But once the season sets in it’s glorious to see and be grateful for all the blessings fall provides.
Thank you Sr. for posting such a peaceful video, after watching so many devastating videos of the aftermath of Hurricane Helena and now Milton about to reek it’s havoc it was so soothing to watch this one!
Once again, I did not receive the blog in my email. This has been ongoing for a month now. I did send a message about it, but got no answer. Then one of the blogs popped up about a week later, but only one. I checked the website to make sure one was published for today and it was, but I didn’t get it. I tried unsubscribing and resubscribing, but got message I was already subscribed. Is there again a problem with your website or is it just me? I would appreciate a response. Thank you.
Christine Bianco