Dear Friends,
After last week’s beautiful reflection from Virginia, I would like to continue on the theme of autumn. Last week, we looked at the whole life cycle and how to revere each stage. This week, I would like to concentrate on the Autumn of Life.
We have all heard some form of the phrase ‘wisdom comes with age’. I would like to add: with experiences as well! Autumn is about the coming of the harvest, and so we look at our Autumn time of life as a time of harvesting.
What is it that we harvest?
It is a time to harvest memories of the past, moments we enjoyed, and the experiences that brought us joy. Sometimes, the experiences we recall bring with them a mixture of both joy and sorrow, but we bring them together and hold them as one. When things are scattered, there is no unity. The harvest brings things together; wisdom bring things together in a new and more meaningful way. Like the Autumn leaves, our lives become a splendor of color and beauty.
Recently, at a general audience, Pope Francis said: “Knowing oneself is not difficult but it is laborious; it implies patient soul searching. It requires the capacity to stop, to ‘deactivate the autopilot’, to acquire awareness of our way of acting, of the feelings that dwell within us, of the recurrent thoughts that condition us, and often unconsciously. It also requires that we distinguish between emotions and spiritual faculties. ‘I feel is not the same as ‘I want’. Thus, we recognize that the view we have of ourselves, and the reality is at times somewhat distorted. To realize this is grace!”
In the Autumn of our lives, we may have the opportunity to harvest, to look at ourselves and unify who we are, and become filled with grace. If you find yourself in another season of life, it is never a bad idea to do some harvesting.
May your week be filled with bounty allowing your life to experience the gift of Wisdom!
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
