There comes a moment each year when the change in seasons isn’t announced by calendars or clocks, but by the world itself. You don’t need to be told that summer has faded, just trust your senses. As the daily temperatures drop,the transition isn’t loud or demanding, but more like a subtle whisper inviting us to slow down and listen.
Yesterday, the winds were the first to speak. They picked up with a soft and steady edge, bringing the faintest chill signaling change. What once was a warm, lingering breeze now passed briskly, tugging at sleeves and tossing fallen leaves across the yard. Here on the high desert plains of northwestern Nevada, the air itself has grown restless, ready to guide us into a quieter season.
In the distance, the soft clickety-clack of a train travels across the landscape. Its sound is haunting and steady, a reminder of both movement and distance. The train’s whistle, carried on the wind, echoes throughout the desert as a reminder that life is always in motion especially here at the Port of Nevada. There is something deeply comforting about its rhythm, like a heartbeat beneath the hush of autumn’s stillness.
From the porch, the wind chimes respond in their own delicate way. Soft, silvery, and fleeting, their voice never plays the same song twice. Each note rings clear and then drifts into silence, as if the air itself swallows it up. The music feels both fragile and eternal, reminding us that beauty exists in the smallest passing moments. The chimes speak the language of autumn in their quiet, thoughtful, and unhurried way.
And then there is the quiet. The stillness of autumn is not an absence of sound but a fullness. It’s the hush that falls when the world begins to rest. It’s the silence between falling leaves, the train’s distant call, and the notes of the chimes. In that quiet, you become aware of things you might otherwise miss, like the faint rustle of quail in the leaves, the deep breath of the earth cooling itself, or even your own heartbeat slowing in response to the season’s calm.
Our bees are listening to the changes these days. As the hive shrinks in number, the trips to gather nourishment are more purposeful. The hive is doing its best to survive in spite of the odds against it. We pray they have enough of everything needed to make it through the winter.
Autumn teaches patience while us that not everything needs to be rushed or filled. It tells us that pauses have their own beauty, and rest is not the end but a necessary part of the rhythm of life. Just as the trees shed their leaves, we’re invited to let go, listen, and make space for what’s next.
The train in the distance, the wind through the branches, the soft chiming notes, and the growing stillness all weave together into a gentle symphony. Together they sing of endings that aren’t losses, of quiet that isn’t emptiness, and of pauses that are not final. They speak of a world that knows how to move gracefully from one season to the next.
Listen as autumn offers us peace and a chance to notice the beauty in silence, honor the quiet gifts of change, and trust that even in stillness, life continues its steady, faithful rhythm.
A Prayer for the Season
Lord of all seasons,
thank You for the gift of change,
for the winds that remind us to let go,
for the quiet that teaches us to listen,
and for the beauty that lingers even in endings.
As autumn settles in,
help us to rest in Your presence,
to hear Your voice in the stillness,
and to carry gratitude in our hearts.
May we trust Your rhythm for our lives,
just as the earth trusts the turning of the seasons.
Amen.
