To see this tree this way I needed to walk into her – look up, not down or straight ahead.

   I laid on the ground amid the fallen children of this Maple; reclined on leaves that have left their Mother never to return. The rest will let go soon, leaving their Mother stripped to her bones to face winter alone. 

   The fall of each leaf is a sacrament as is its birth. But Autumn, has often seduced my heart into shadows. Since age twelve I have dreaded it as The Dying Season, always dreaming of canceling it & retreating to my native California.

   Schooled as I am in helping others heal by changing their stories I could not conjure one to free me from Fall's jaws. 

   This summer, for the first time, I consciously prepared for October. But a friend who brought cheer by challenging me to leaf-catching games moved away, threatening my plan. 

   Then I remembered the ancient phrase Jung hung above his office door: "Called or not called God is present." I took the Latin translation: Vocatus at que, non vocatus deus aderit & composed a Gregorian Chant for my album, "Angel Hour."*

  Whether the Maple is filled with leaves or barren, God is present. Warm winds or freezing rain, God is present. Sunset at 8 p.m. or 5 p.m., God is present. 

   These obvious truths came clear in one healing moment…

   In my neighborhood, men do not lie on the ground looking up at trees. A passing friend called out, "Hey Chip! What are you doing?"

   I heard myself answer, "Making friends with Autumn."

   How many personal problems & international disputes would resolve if we chose befriending what we see as threatening? Our President-elect is asking that of us. His message is as welcome as Spring. 

-Erie Chapman

*"Angel Hour" is available on Amazon as a CD or as a download

Photograph by Erie, November 8, 2020