21 Comments

Poetry and Autumn is definitely one of the best pairings around. Thank you for sharing this, Jody. I can almost hear the crunching sound of the fallen leaves on the ground as I’m reading this.

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We returned home from the sea to find our yard looking like a crazy quilt here in WV. Some of the maples are still in brilliant color and I plan on enjoying them all!

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A crazy quilt of color... A perfect description.

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It’s a thing around here! The quilting and the crazy!

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Yep, SoCal girl here who after 30 years in the Midwest still can’t get over the seasons!

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Ahhhh..... Tania, IYKYK, right? you definitely have the seasons in your neck of the woods!

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Your poem is a gift to us! This is my 12th fall in San Diego, and I sometimes miss the bright colors of fall in Michigan (where my husband's family is from and where I went to college.) I've been more attuned to the subtle changes of fall around here though, and there are hiking trails and mountains where autumn is a bit more obvious. And also, I'm so used to the temps here that as soon as it dips below 65 I'm all kinds of freezing, haha!!

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Sarah, I'm so glad the poem blessed you; thanks for saying so. And yes, the San Diego area has its own kind of beauty in the Fall, but I can see why you'd miss Autumn in Michigan for sure.

Your weather comment made me smile--65 degrees is pretty much the average 'high' temperature in the Seattle area about now :-)

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You are clearly made of heartier stuff than I!

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Yesyesyes. All gift.

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Ours turn, but not till after Thanksgiving.

P.S. I am using part of that Malcolm Guite quote in an article I'm writing for pastoral musicians. Thanks! And I plan to read that collection this Advent.

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Ahhh... I've been in Texas hill country in November--it's beautiful!

And I know you'll enjoy Malcolm's collection--his reflections on the poems he chose are just golden.

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I grew up in Phoenix, and you are absolutely right; there only so many ways to say blue skies and sunshine! Here in the northwoods (where I have now lived for 20 years) Autumn is such an aching, ephemeral gift. ✨ Abundance is found everywhere, flaming colors, garden harvest, and the piles we shuffle our feet through even as the world gets ready to sleep. My favorite season. 🍂

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Oh Cathy, I love that line, "Autumn is such an aching, ephemeral gift.' Absolutely! Thanks so much for being here.

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I get quite the autumn show from my back window too, here in eastern Nebraska. My husband was raised in California and sometimes misses the weather, but I love the change of seasons.

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Ahhhh Nebraska is a place I've never visited but I've heard it can be lovely in the Fall. I agree with you; someone asked me if I miss the California sunshine and I always say 'no'--the change of seasons is a gift.

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Thanks Jody. We lived in Bremerton for about 8 years while I was stationed at the base there. We miss the Pacific Northwest and all its beauty.

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Ah, well yes, you know how lovely it is up here!

((I've been to that base in Bremerton!))

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I’ve never known a fall without changing leaves — I couldn’t imagine it!

Looking forward to your holiday volume, Jody!

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Ah, Tennessee, right Kristine? Now THAT'S a place I'd like to visit...

And thanks for your excitement about the upcoming poetry--stay tuned!

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Yes! By way of Maryland and Virginia, so all four seasons! 🍂

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