A Message from Pastor Gary
Colors
One of my favorite things in nature is the beauty of the Fall foliage. I have sought out
places like Mount Carol in New Hampshire or the Catskills of New York to observe
this spectacle. Of course, you can find its beauty in any number of places. There are
places and patches of brilliant colors that catch us by surprise.
This year my attention is drawn to the fact that the leaves on the trees are most brilliant
just shortly before they die and fall to the ground. This seems odd. It is contrary to the
way we think about life. We generally think of youthfulness as containing the most
beauty.
Could it be possible that there is beauty contained in our senior years? A wise woman
once told me that aging is not a punishment, but where do we find the beauty in our
aging? We have gained wisdom over the years. It is clothed in a bad news good news
proposition.
Graham Cook, an itinerate preacher, says that we arrive at a point in life when our best
years are behind us. That can evoke sadness, but there is still purpose. We can take the
wisdom of our years and pour it into the lives of others. We transition from what we
do for ourselves to what we have to offer others. It is a surprising place, and it is indeed
very colorful and brilliant in its own right.
Pastor Gary
