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Autumn trees remind us that letting go takes time.

Letting go can be less dramatic than we imagine or fear.

Enjoy what is here while it's here.

We can appreciate what a season gives us while trusting ourselves to find a way to what comes next.

I expect all of us who love summer’s long, sunny days hate to see them wind down. Cool mornings take until afternoon to warm up. The light quilt on the bed seems to portend the down comforter that will follow as autumn moves toward winter.

But autumn brings pleasures of its own. Here in Atlanta, the cooler air is a welcome relief after 76 days at or above 90 degrees this summer. We’ll likely have warm weather well into October, and the trees may wait until late in the month or early November to begin their annual transformation.

Still, something has shifted. The morning air feels different against my skin—cool, even chilly. The light falls at a gentler angle. I find myself lingering outside instead of hurrying toward the air-conditioned indoors.

Autumn Invites Us to Notice Change While It's Happening

Most of us are better at recognizing change afterward. We look back and see that a friendship deepened (or disappeared), a difficult year made us more resourceful, or a familiar way of living no longer fit. While we’re in the middle of it, though, change can feel uncertain.........

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