HU!

 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

          Fall is upon us. What does that mean for you? Is it a nice, new season with its own traditions, priorities, and enjoyment? Is it a time of closing down and preparation for winter? It is harvest time? Is it time to gear up for school? To buckle down to studies or work? Are you ready? Do you have your pumpkin spice? Your sweaters? Your hoodies? Have you gotten apple cider yet? What are your goals for between now and Christmas?

          Like so much else since last March, this fall is being both familiar and strange for me. Over the past five years, I’ve torn plants out of the garden (which was maybe half the size it is now or left them until spring. I’ve started tear plants out. Today’s victims were some marigolds and some turnips. There are more of both. Too many marigolds, and none of them the dwarf variety. (Note to self.) But the focus is harvesting rather than just tearing out. There are a couple handfuls of marigold flowers in the kitchen, waiting for research to be done about whether and how to preserve them. Fennel and echinacea seed heads, and some onions are in the garage drying/curing. It feels strange to be bothering with these things, but I’m finding that it feels right, too. I’m collecting free supplies and I’m following a cycle that brings me back to reality.

          There’s another part of me, of course. It screams, “Hurry up!” I look around in anxiety. How am I going to get ready? How can I possibly do all I need to do? OK, let’s start cleaning up and packing! Except, well, I can’t load up the truck yet. Why risk stuff getting stolen, or damaged if I get in an accident? No, it won’t do to pack yet. Besides, I might want to use that, and that, and this before I leave. Hurry up! Not yet! (HU!NY!)

          In the midst of the HU! of the season, I’m trying to build in unhurried cyclical stuff. I’m not just ripping the fennel out. I’m taking time each day to find the seed heads that are ready for harvest. I’m saying NY! Yes, there is a straight line forward, and I hear the HU! of it. But I’m trying to listen to the NY! as well.

          With God, time seems to be both linear and cyclical. There is both HU! and NY! There is room for ritual and tradition within the march. God’s ways include stopping to smell the flowers, but not building cathedrals among them. NY! gives us time to acknowledge God. It gives us time to understand the directions He has given us. There are times when He’ll say “HU!” but I suspect there are more times that He says, “NY!” And it’s in the times when we’re struggling between the two that we need most to seek His direction.