For Everything There is a Season

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted..." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I woke up this morning to the first day of fall. Actually, I didn't realize fall's official arrival was today until I read a friend's Facebook post wishing everyone a Happy Autumn. And it's not like it snuck up on me. The signs have all been evident: singing cicadas, cooler nights, new shades of color on the trees, shorter evenings, and darker mornings. The girls are in school. My garden is giving up its last offerings of the year.  

Fall has always been bittersweet for me. Of all the seasons, fall most clearly signals to me the passing of another year. But why is it getting to me so much this year? Maybe it's because I turned 40 a few weeks ago. Or perhaps it's because it was Rachel started kindergarten. And Allie starting her first year of preschool likely contributed to it as well. All momentous milestones in our lives. All signs of passing time. For everything there is a season.