the simple things.

seasons pass. times change. and fall reminds us of the cycle of life. october and november are often thought of as the months of death and decay. darkness creeps in. the plants & flowers & trees wither & seemingly die. we are reminded of our mortality, and even celebrate our mortality by remembering those who are no longer physically living with us. halloween and all saint’s day traditions mark these celebrations and times of remembrance.

nature gives us a glimpse into what life is meant to be, i believe. it’s all connected… the natural world, the spiritual world. this is who my God is. the God of everything. the God that connects all people, all places, all times. but, it’s not only about connection, life is also about transformation. change. and through nature, we are shown that life does not end, it is only transformed. changes throughout life do not mean the end of something, but actually the beginning of something else. a time where all things are made new.

we get it all screwed up. but, in many ways, even though we cannot fully understand it, it is simple. and the promise of hope, of life, of peace, of goodness is found in our everyday life. in the simple things. and fall is the perfect reminder that, though it seems that everything is hopeless and dying, there is much more waiting and happening. even if we can’t see it, even if we don’t fully understand it.

i think this quote says it best:

in the natural world, of course, there is no actual beginning and ending, no birth & death; there is only change & transformation. it’s always good to be mindful of this fact…

when we plant a seed the new plant that sprouts from it does not begin at that moment of germination; rather it is connected to the parent plant from which the seed developed, plus all of the preceding generations of plants way back through time. It is also connected to the clouds, the rain, the sunshine, the gardener, the compost, and an infinite web of conditions, which have contributed to its infestation in the here and now.

when the plant eventually withers and decays it also does not die, in the sense of vanishing into nothingness. its physical form, if it is not eaten as food, will decay into the soil, soon providing nutrients for further plant manifestations.

the whole universe is nothing but a dynamic transformative dance…

~ark redwood, the simple things

yesterday, walking home in the rain with my love, we stopped by a little convenience store to check out the latest magazines. i came across one that i had never seen before. the simple things is a british monthly magazine which just began its publication last month. i flipped through the pages, and was immediately hooked. i wanted to soak in al the words and images i saw. as if the title of the magazine didn’t draw me in enough, the layout, the colors, the theme, the content of the magazine called to me. so, i brought it home with me.

i have spent this rainy saturday morning leafing through the pages, reading the words, feeling soothed, inspired, peaceful. check out the magazine online here if you are interested.

so, in an attempt to put into practice the idea of living simply & simply living, today my love and i have enjoyed a cozy morning at home. but, in a few hours we will head out to listen to an inspiring woman speak about her life, and then this evening we are headed to an american friend’s home for dinner and who knows what else.

yes, the fall reminds us of our mortality. but, in the midst of that reminder, we are given a chance to think about the present moment, to live in the present moment, and to know that the gray, dreary, seemingly lifeless season will one day fade into days of light & life again. it’s all part of the process of transformation. and we will have become better people for experiencing the process.

it is as simple as that.

peace in the darkness…. because the light will come again.