Reflection for October
October1, 2026
by FFrances
October comes suddenly. Thirty days in September and losing the 31st day of the month suddenly seems to push us towards the ending of the year. Suddenly life seems to be rushing by, faster and faster, like looking out the window of a train. Wait, stop, slow down. Come on, follow me. Let me just bury my father. Let me just say goodbye to everyone. (Luke:9)
But maybe Jesus is letting us know that there aren’t infinite amounts of time. Maybe there is only time for the things of the kindom: Acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly with God.
On Wednesdays, I spend the morning feeding the hungry. In the voices humbly asking for food I hear lamentation, I hear the cries of the poor. It is both a joy to serve and also extremely painful. I need to have a lie-down in the afternoon to process the pain of all I have taken in. So, I lie down on my comfortable bed with my head on my feather pillow under my watertight roof in my warm cosy house.
Then the tug on my heart says get up, there isn’t time. Stay awake, be ready. The kindom of Heaven is like a mustard seed…it needs to be planted, watered, nurtured and tended, to grow to be a place that provides shelter and a nesting place for the birds.
Get up, plant your seeds, plant the kindom.
Leaves Don’t Drop, They Just Let Go Carrie Newcomer and Michael Mains; available on The Geography of Light by Carrie Newcomer, Rounder Records (2017).
https://youtu.be/3c4mW9MRe-k?si=3BLCAiWcif_Sfv_N (lyric video)
The truth I learned when I was eight.
My dad swam the length of Spirit Lake.
Yeah, and it must have been a million miles.
This I knew was true.
My mother sang while hanging clothes.
Her notes weren't perfect heaven knows.
Yeah, but heaven opened anyway.
This I knew was true.
Leaves don't drop they just let go,
And make a space for seeds to grow,
And every season brings a change,
A tree is what a seed contains,
To die then live is life's refrain.
I left her with some groceries,
Said, “Check the oil and call me please.”
And she said, “Hey ma I'll be just fine.”
This I knew was true.
Leaves don't drop they just let go,
And make a space for seeds to grow,
And every season brings a change,
A tree is what a seed contains,
To die then live is life's refrain.
I've traveled through my history,
From certainty to mystery.
God speaks in rhyme in paradox.
This I know is true.
And finally when my life is through,
And what I am, not what I do.
'Cause it comes down to you and your next breath.
This I know is true.
Leaves don't drop they just let go,
And make a space for seeds to grow,
And every season brings a change,
A tree is what a seed contains,
To die then live is life's refrain.
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