Beauty in Silence… by JoAnn
Today, on my way home from picking up some dinner, I traveled down a long country road as I usually do. I enjoy seeing the seasons change in my town, and taking the long way home is a habit for me.
As I admired all of the freshly harvested fields, bare now, only remnants of the corn stalks that once filled them, I took notice of how the leaves on the trees seemed to have changed color overnight. In a group of orange and yellow gold, I noticed the stark white silhouette of a dead tree. No foliage remained on its branches, but the tree stood tall with its white bark gleaming against the Fall colors. It stood out and grabbed my attention. What a beautiful picture it made, and I was disappointed that I didn’t have a camera with me. I thought to myself that even a dead tree has beauty in nature. I look forward to all of the beauty that comes with Fall and Winter as the earth becomes silent once again.
It has been so dry here for months that the earth has been as dusty as talcum powder. It has covered everything within its reach, much like the yellow pollen in the Spring. It’s a part of Fall that I dread. Every farmer in our county seemed to be harvesting their fields these last few weeks and kicking up a bounty of dust in every direction. Yesterday, everyone was talking about the incoming rainfall for this weekend. Everyone is looking forward to the “cleansing” that rain will finally provide. All the farmers are done with their work. Now it’s time to replenish the fields for next year with rain. The forecast couldn’t have come at a better time.
Just as I arrived home, a warm dinner in my hands, it began to sprinkle. I’m happy to say it has been raining for 3 hours now. That good drenching rain, as the local newscaster described it. The rain we have all missed the past couple of months. We need this cleansing for sure. I opened my back door and listened to the raindrops fall. Such a beautiful sound! I heard a bird singing in a manner that sounded as if it were celebrating the rain, too! Then, all went silent as the sunset and the rain kept falling.
Such a beautiful silence this season brings. It’s a time to reflect on all that has happened this year—a time to give thanks and count our blessings. The earth slowly falls asleep after a long, busy year. It is taking its much-needed rest till Spring. Wherever you are this season, I hope you, too, can find blessings in which to give thanks and enjoy the silence of Fall.
