For some, summer was full of reunions, cookouts, and sunshine. For others, it took its toll with long, hot days marked by reminders of loss and new grief that came without warning. This year, the first cool breeze of autumn arrived early, followed by summer heat that lingered far too long. For many, the summer season wasn’t embraced so much as endured.

Now the air is shifting, and not everyone welcomes fall. Some brace for cooler weather or the holiday season that looms on the horizon. Others feel the heaviness of shorter days and longer nights. Change can stir memories we thought were settled, or remind us that healing is still a journey.
 
Yet fall is also a season of gathering. Just as farmers harvest their crops, we can gather what this past season has grown in us: strength, compassion, even quiet joy. Galatians 6:9 encourages, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Even as the light fades earlier, God is nurturing hope within us.

In this season, look for signs of grace: a neighbor waving from the porch, laughter after Sunday worship, the rhythm of families starting their day, with autumn leaves swirling in the breeze. Grace doesn’t erase grief, but it steadies us as we carry it into the cooler, harvest months that lie ahead.

Reflection Question:
What signs of grace from this past season can you gather to sustain you as the days grow shorter?