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| November's first snowfall with the Manitoba maple |
For many of us, November is the season of lament.
We lament how brown everything turns, how the leaves are
gone, and the gardens are tilled and vacant.
We lament the darkness, the wet, the dampness, the cold. The
snow! Too soon, we say.
When November arrives, the season of dying, of dormancy, of
shutting down has begun.
November is that “nothing” month between the vibrancy of
October and the festivities of December – with only the remembrance of war, of
suffering and death in the middle of the month. For many of us, the blood-red
poppy is the symbol of November.
For many of us, November is the month of melancholy. It’s the month when
there is nothing to celebrate. Every weekend from January to October, we have
something to decorate for, to shop for, to anticipate. Even Halloween has
become a month-long “celebration”.
November, however, is the month darkened not only by the time change but also by the shadow
of war.
But – thank
goodness – even before Halloween, HOLIDAY decor begins springing up in malls
and shops, assuring us that once we tire of jack-o-lanterns and horror movies,
we can lose ourselves in wintry traditions of Christmas and New Year’s.
We just need to
“get through” November – this bridge month between the “fresh start” of
September and the bright colours of October, and the parties and bright lights
of December.
This reminds me of
a poster I once had: it was a photo of a horse standing at a fence in a misty
pasture, looking out beyond the fence.
The caption read, “Hope is not a way out but a way through.”
A way through. When
things are misty and unclear, when the days are dark and gloomy, when the light
disappears and the rain or wind keeps us tucked inside, we seek a way through.
...How on earth can
there be a MOMENT OF JOY in times of suffering, loss and
death?
There HAS to be.
Because HOPE is a
way through, not a way out.
Because the gifts
of JOY and HOPE and LOVE and PEACE – even if the gift lasts only a moment – are
the lights that shine in the darkness.
I was thinking
about this as I walked along a dirt road near my house. Everything was bare –
the leaves were off the trees, the fields were brown, the wind was sharp – it
was a typical November afternoon: barren and bleak and bitter – but what did I
notice? What shone out of the barrenness like a tiny little beacon of joy?
Rosehips.
Red, round rosehips
in surprising abundance on the straggly, prickly stems of the wild rose bushes.
Now, if ever there
was a perfect metaphor for November, this is it:
We don’t want to be stripped bare, pared down,
laid open – we don’t want the straggly, prickly days…we prefer the sunshine and
warm temperatures, the beautiful roses and lush green leaves.
But there isn’t one
of us who hasn’t been stripped bare, pared down and laid open at some point –
by loss – by change – by suffering. Whether it’s through death or divorce or
disease… it happens to us, it happens to someone we love.
...We have a tree in our front yard, a Manitoba maple, and when all the other trees on our property have lost their leaves, the southern side of this maple tree still holds onto its leaves – BIG YELLOW LEAVES.
When we look out
into the yard, whether it’s sunny or rainy, these leaves glow – they become
these lovely golden stars.
Yesterday, in the
cold sunshine, those stars dotted the snow covering the yard.
On a rainy day,
when the sun isn’t even shining, they gather the light.
It’s like sunshine cascading down from the
sky.
This display
doesn’t last long – but it is a gift. It is a reminder there is always hope, and there is no darkness, no
emptiness, no dread that cannot be pierced, filled or vanquished with a word of
kindness, a moment of joy, or the smallest ray of light.
~ By Sara Jewell
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