Autumn. It's always been my favorite. A short description of this season would make even the ardent summer-lover helplessly fall for the brilliant maples clothed in canary yellow, the fiery sassafras, the smell of wetness, the haunted cry of the blackbird, the turkey in the oven making the whole house smell like a holiday...
Autumn. It's probably the most dramatic season. Our eyes have been accustomed to the pleasant comfort-color green. Our bodies have changed colors under the sun's power. Our lawn chairs, porch swings, and blankets have found us seeking the coolness of shade. Our pools are blue. Our rivers are green. Our boats and floats are at our beckoned call. Every weekend is dedicated to bliss. But when the rain comes, and the temperature drops a few degrees, we bury our chilled noses inside jackets, our eyes trained on those once green leaves, as they began to manifest brilliance. In a matter of days, everything changes.
Autumn. It's nature changing her summer frock for a party gown. Change. And preparation.
People change, too, just like the seasons. Sometimes it's as a dramatic change as Autumn. And sometimes we aren't expecting such a change. Sometimes it's disappointing. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it's wonderful. But all times it's different.
My house has watched change happen, almost in sync with the seasons. Thankfully I can say it's been a good change. But it has most certainly been different. I find it interesting to watch others', and my own, reaction to this change. I'm sure there are families close in many homes, in many parts of this vast world, but I can't imagine any home holding four sisters as close and loving as mine. I reserve the right to be bias.
Watching your sister walk down a church aisle, dressed in the purest of white, flowers in her hand, veil soft-focusing her face, is a beautiful thing. Hearing her promise to make a home of love and respect to a man by whom she is cherished is a beautiful thing. Waving as she drives from your sight into a distant horizon that you cannot fully share is a....change.
Three occupy the double bunks where four once slept and giggled and shared secrets. Three watch black-and-white romance movies where four once vied for the handsome, dashing hero. Three sit in the studio, creating melodies, where four once had a perfect and balanced harmony. Three have sat quietly together, diamond tears falling as they remember when four once sat together, tears falling from an overdose of merriment.
In the midst of all this change, which according to Ecclesiastes, is a part of life and living, I find great comfort in the fact that the Lord says, "I the Lord do not change." Mal. 3:6 When all the change around us begins to suffocate, or rob of us joy, because everything is so different, nothing the same anymore, we can delight in these words. God's love, His faithfulness, His grace and mercy, His patience - all is as steady as the clock on the mantle, as complete as the earth's rotation, as dependable as the dawn.
In such times of change, whether they be good or bad, Christ is a constant lover, reaching out to us, holding us, being our all in all.
Inside the studio walls recently, the (now) sister-threesome produced a beautiful song dedicated to the love, the life, and the longings of a sisterhood that no change of time nor season can ever separate. Allow me to give you a bit of detail and description of the lyrics of our new song Together.
Count the tales we've read on every chocolate wall
Bookshelves of our favorite classics, poets and fictions are lined against the chocolate-colored walls of our bedroom
Count the candles burning while the petals fall
On those shelves are many candles that we burn in the evenings while reading; flowers in vases grace our window sills
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Count every hero that made us dream
We have watched too many movies with too many handsome heroes to count; each girl having a crush on a different personality
Count the winters falling like a pure love scene
As children some of our best play-times were when the trees and grounds were covered in fairytale white snow
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Hearts like ours don't come in recipes
Each sister has their own style in the cooking kitchen - each different, each full of flavor
Together
Lives shared in all the simple memories
Together
It's worth the time, the energy
A simple reminder that relationships take both to flourish
Count the sands run down the face of mountain tops
In all our many travels, we have enjoyed each moment being together, sharing stories from each adventure
Count the spices growing beside lollipops
Each sister has added either the sugar or the spice to our family's life; combined they are delicious
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Count every measure of melody
For all the songs we have sung together; all the music we have played
Count every evening of Bengal tea
With hot drinks, whether coffee or tea, each girl has her own special taste, usually exotic
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Bookshelves of our favorite classics, poets and fictions are lined against the chocolate-colored walls of our bedroom
Count the candles burning while the petals fall
On those shelves are many candles that we burn in the evenings while reading; flowers in vases grace our window sills
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Count every hero that made us dream
We have watched too many movies with too many handsome heroes to count; each girl having a crush on a different personality
Count the winters falling like a pure love scene
As children some of our best play-times were when the trees and grounds were covered in fairytale white snow
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Hearts like ours don't come in recipes
Each sister has their own style in the cooking kitchen - each different, each full of flavor
Together
Lives shared in all the simple memories
Together
It's worth the time, the energy
A simple reminder that relationships take both to flourish
Count the sands run down the face of mountain tops
In all our many travels, we have enjoyed each moment being together, sharing stories from each adventure
Count the spices growing beside lollipops
Each sister has added either the sugar or the spice to our family's life; combined they are delicious
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold
Count every measure of melody
For all the songs we have sung together; all the music we have played
Count every evening of Bengal tea
With hot drinks, whether coffee or tea, each girl has her own special taste, usually exotic
See all the years and tears that made us grow
Look at the treasures that we now hold