September/Fall/Auumn (antipodean Spring)

This morning, a radio announcer here in the USA announced “today is the first day of autumn”. The he added that the equinox was at (Daylight Savings Time) 5:18 p.m. in our eastern time zone.

It was not until later in the day that it occurred to me that he had said “autumn” and not “fall”, the usual North American word.

Both words have good and ancient pedigrees. “Autumn” comes via older French languages, and “Fall” via older Germanic languages.

My heritage leads me to prefer autumn. I hear it as a softer and gentler word than fall.

Had I lived before the 16th/17th centuries in England, I would have called the season “Harvest”. The great migration in that era from the countryside to the town/city led to the abandonment of “Harvest” for “Autumn”.

You’d never have guessed today that we had entered autumn if you lived in my neck of the woods. It maxed out at 100F !

And for friends such as Andrew McGowan in Melbourne, Australia, today began the first day of spring.

As they say in the real estate and retail businesses: “location, location, location”.

Here is an autumnal poem written in north America. My good friend Jeanette Roosevelt forwarded it to me

September Meditation

I do not know if the seasons remember their history or if the days and nights by which we count time remember their own passing.


I do not know if the oak tree remembers its planting or if the pine remembers its slow climb toward sun and stars.


I do not know if the squirrel remembers last fall's gathering or if the bluejay remembers the meaning of snow.


I do not know if the air remembers September or if the night remembers the moon.


I do not know if the earth remembers the flowers from last spring or if the evergreen remembers that it shall stay so.


Perhaps that is the reason for our births -- to be the memory for creation.


Perhaps salvation is something very different than anyone ever expected.


Perhaps this will be the only question we will have to answer:

"What can you tell me about September?"




Burton D. Carley



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not remember the words “ar
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were able to get together a few
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur
Read more