Here in Ohio we don’t have the mountains and we don’t have the ocean.  But we have the maples.  And it is October.  And we have the walnuts, and honey locust, and redbuds and hackberries, and mulberries, and all the other photosynthesizing wonders making this fall transition with us.  It’s the time of year when even poison ivy will make you reconsider your disdain – months of provocations culminating in a few weeks of fiery beauty.

Friends – it is a hard time.  The daily news is troubling.  The commentary is unending.  The coronavirus is persistent, and there is nothing novel anymore about our adaptations to it.  The winter is coming with its own hardships.    

But right now, right now, here in the Midwest we are in the midst of peak autumn magnificence.    

Green gives way to red and gold, which linger.  And we linger with them……………………… 

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They will soon let go, becoming soil that will continue to sustain life.  And we will learn to let go.   

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There is much here to be pondered, savored and enjoyed.

Headline news: The trees are cultivating beloved community.