Ay, thou art welcome,
heaven's delicious breath!
When woods begin to wear
the crimson leaf,
And suns grow meek, and the
meek suns grow brief
And the year smiles as
it draws near its death.
Wind of the sunny south!
oh, still delay
In the gay woods and in the
golden air,
Like to a good old age released from
care,
Journeying, in long serenity, away.
In such a bright, late quiet, would that I
Might
wear out life like thee, 'mid bowers and brooks
And dearer
yet, the sunshine of kind looks,
And music of kind voices
ever nigh;
And when my last sand twinkled in the
glass,
Pass silently from men, as thou dost pass.
From
October by William Cullen Bryant
Chalet
LAbri, October 2, 2002.
a
page from my journalacg
Official autumn has arrived here in the Shenandoah
Valley. Remnants of Hurricane Isidore visited the Mid-Atlantic with welcome rainfall
while an Indian summer lingers. Still the wrapping up of summer 2002 AD is readily
apparent here in Piney Mountain Acres where I live. My planter of geraniums has
been moved to the back and south side of the chalet to glean the maximum rays of October sunshine for the remaining clusters
of buds and blossoms. The dead flotsam of summer has been culled from my garden
and only chrysanthemums and marigolds remain blooming with their intense glory of white, rose, yellow and gold. My little corner of the world beams a happy face.
Across my computer screen runs a continuous marquis from the book
of Zephaniah which reads: Morning
by Morning New Mercies I See. This, I assure myself, despite the
news of war and rumors of war. Reading the book of Jeremiah last week,
I realized that the word news and war were incompatible. Theres nothing new about war; it is as old as time. Since Genesis, our planet has been replete with wars where greedy and evil men sought power and substituted assorted gods for the Creator of the Universe. Repeatedly,
prophets of old heard the voice of God pronouncing doom to those who would worship false gods.
Still, a remnant of believers has been (and still are) the glue that holds our fragile world together standing on the
promises of Grace and forgiveness.
Signing a book for me author and missionary
Marjorie Leighey, once scribbled beneath her signature words that ring with authority and meaning: He Truly Reigns.
Believing that the Lord God of Jacob, Moses, Solomon, David, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul does still truly reign
and trusting wholly in Him, I can rest all my waking moments with Him. He Himself
said: My yoke is easy and my burden is
light. Thus I claim Bryants October lines for my own: Like to a good old age released from care, Journeying, in long serenity, away.