Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.

— Psalm 90:12

Where I live in northeast Ohio, September is when the fall foliage is in full glory.  Everywhere I look I behold trees of bright red, orange, yellow and even gold.  It's a sight that amazes me every year, one I never take for granted.  As I watch the leaves falling, I find myself saying, "What a way to go!  In such splendor!"

The beauty and predictability of fall help me to believe in the goodness and constancy of God.  Fall comes.  Summer is over. Winter is on its way.  And even though fall appears to be a season of death, it isn't really.  The trees are not dying. Their precious vitality is stored in their intricate root systems beneath the ground.  When outward circumstances change (and they will), these same trees will sprout brand new green leaves. Fall is the sign of the ingenuity of God.  When things appear to be dead, new life bursts forth.

Source of All Wisdom, help me to see possibilitieswhere I am tempted to see only death.  Amen.

— Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.