Slow Down

Donna
Oct 18, 2021
2 min read

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 NRSV

It seemed that daylight changed abruptly this year and nightfall arrived early. Autumn equinox happened in September which marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the season of cooler weather and its time to pull out the sweaters, put blankets on the bed, and warm the house.

Plants and trees are slowing down, as sunlight decreases, to get ready for the colder season ahead. The trees are exploding with vibrant colors of yellow, orange, and red and then drop off, holding their newly formed buds for spring. Purple asters and chrysanthemums brighten the gardens and orange pumpkins dot the fields. The corn is being harvested and stored for winter. Soon the land and trees will be bare.

October is the month that the garden is put to bed. The perennials are cut back, vegetables and annuals are pulled up, some bulbs are dug up and brought indoors to use again next season. Fallen leaves are raked and used for compost to recycle the nutrients and improve the soil.

Some woodland creatures, like the bears, chipmunks, turtles, bats, and skunks are slowing down in preparation for hibernation, conserving energy when food is scarce. Their metabolism is depressed, body temperature lowers, and their breathing and heart rates slow down.

If the natural world around us is slowing down, perhaps it is a time for us to take a few deep breaths and slow down. Be attentive to God's invitation to you during this season. What do you taste, feel, hear, observe? What are you noticing in your surroundings and within you? What are you being invited to let go? How are you being invited to slow down?

Slow Me Down

Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart By the quieting of my mind. Steady my harried pace With a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, Amidst the confusions of my day, The calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves With the soothing music Of the singing streams That live in my memory. Help me to know The magical power of sleep, Teach me the art Of taking minute vacations Of slowing down To look at a flower; To chat with an old friend Or make a new one; To pet a dog; To watch a spider build a web; To smile at a child; Or to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day That the race is not always won by the swift; That there is more to life Than increasing its speed. Let me look upward Into the branches of the towering oak And know that it grew great and strong Because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, And inspire me to send my roots deep Into the soil of life's enduring values That I may grow toward the stars Of our greater destiny