Autumn, the season of change

Last autumn, I was in my old office. The windows looked out to a courtyard of silver birches, and the change in season shimmered and trembled before me each day as the leaves turned to a delicate yellow, fluttered away, and left the silver bark of the birches exposed.

This autumn, in my new office, a huge ornamental pear has its branches spread over the front lawn. I am amazed at the change that has occured over the past month - the flaming red, rich orange to yellow, and the piles of leaves on the ground that we are constantly sweeping from the path.

Change is the only constant in our lives. How ironic is that?  - that the only thing we can count on staying the same is that nothing will stay the same; the only thing we can be sure of is that something will change.

Sometimes, we know a change is coming, and we can plan for the change and attend to our needs (both material and personal) with care and thought. For example, after the sale of a home, we have a designated amount of time to find a new home, to pack, prepare for moving and attend to our feelings.

And other times, the changes catches us completely unaware. What can we hold onto during these times? What are the “roots” in our lives that provide sustenance and strength even though everything else seems so different? How do we tend to the change, or begin sweeping the leaves of change in our lives?