Mark's Blog

I love Fall season!  No, we don’t have the breathtakingly beautiful colors of Vermont—but we also don’t have the cold snaps that create those colors!  But we do have fall in Texas—usually.  Today the high is 82 degrees with an overnight low in the lower 50s—such a relief from the very, very hot summer that we had this year.

As I was reveling about fall this morning, I had a few thoughts to share with you today about the fall season of life—where I find myself now in the birthday month of my 63^rd year!

• Cooler days are a relief from hot days! With the absolute and firm exception of God and His Kingdom, I’m relieved not to care so much about the Dallas Cowboys, about the governor’s race, and about reaching Mars first before the Chinese!  If you are still young and passionate about all of these things, you may not understand my perspective here—and I understand why! But all I can tell you is that life is easier if there is less concern with winning and losing every battle. Maybe it allows you to focus more passion on the big ones better!
• Changes in color can be beautiful! I love the youthful blooms of spring, but I also love the bright reds, yellows, and orange of fall!  My sister who does genealogy told me the other day that this very old person—as compared to just slightly old persons—told her that Woodward men were always very white-haired or bald as they got older. I’m glad that I’m the former—although Sherrylee does like bald men!
• Some leaves fall early and some fall late. This depends on the tree mostly, but also the fall wind.  We have a pool under several trees. In November it is full of early leaves; in early March, we start cleaning the late leaves.  Sooner or later, all the fall leaves fall—and God is in control of that from beginning to end.  So hurray for the fall leaves that drop in full color—and hurray for the fall leaves that hang on to the very end of winter!
• Fall is messy! And we love it, don’t we!  All the leaves cluttering the yard, filling the pool, covering the cars.  Our grandkids love to pile the leaves and waller (is that a word??) in the leaves!  The mess is a big part of the beauty of fall.  By the fall of life, there is no doubt that life is messy.  Virtually everyone will have been touched by the messiness of life.  You may have the blessing of living long enough to even come through the other side—and to see joy on the other side of the mess, like the kids in the leaves.  I have.

Fall is a beautiful time of year!  All the seasons declare His glory. Let’s delight in this beautiful fall day that God has given us!