Director of Children & Youth Ministry Column

If Summer and Spring are a time for growth and expansion, Autumn marks the beginning of a contraction, a time of going inside ourselves. In our modern society we aren’t as dependent on the change of seasons, but there are still lessons they have to teach us. A fresh academic year has begun and children and adults alike are pulled in many directions with excitement. There can be an urgency to fit everything in, and a fear of missing out. Personally, I’ve discovered that what I’m missing the most this busy time of year is a true coming into myself, my home, and my family, in a slow and intentional way. But knowing that doesn’t make it easy to put into practice.

There is more fun and work I’m interested in doing that could ever be done. The wild animals signal a time to hurry up, and collect what you need so that it may warm you in the winter that lies ahead. Newsletters and social media and reports from our children encourage and perpetuate this hurriedness. So, in a way that feels like swimming upstream, I write out my intentions for the Autumn, to set the tone for this “going in” time.

Prioritize calming bedtime routines for everyone. For my children that means listening to their last worries of the day that is ending, and sharing stories or song to relax into. For me, it means jotting down bullet points of lingering thoughts from my day, so I can put them to bed for the night.

I look at the family calendar and prioritize different types of time. Attending a child’s soccer games as a family to show support. Asking about favorite seasonal meals and marking a few days that month that allow for spaciousness. I ask for opinions on selecting one family outing or home activity per month that would appeal to varied interests and needs and mark that down too. I schedule down time for everyone individually. This individual down time does not typically line up between each member in the family, but that’s ok. That’s how it is with a family growing in all kinds of ways. I find that if I don’t schedule downtime, it never comes. My dear and very busy friend marks it on her calendar as “sacred space.”

Then between these plot points on the calendar, I allow for the natural flow of life, and grace for myself when I feel I’ve missed the mark. The children in my home, neighborhood, and work benefit from this practice. I invite you to find your own plot points for your calendar, including sacred space. Breathe in deeply the buzzing energy around us, and transform it through exhalation into your sacred life.

Words to inspire during this shift into Autumn, from Galina Krasskova:

"On this holy tide, we hail the hunter and the hunted, the predator and the prey, the plough and the scythe, the blessings of growth and of decay. We honor our resources, and the frugality and careful planning of every ancestor whose careful household management got their families safely through the cold constraints of winter.

Mabon is a time of remembrance and of culling away, of honoring what we have, what we need, but also what we can provide to others. It is a time to look clearly at where we are weak in spirit, where we are strong, and where we stand somewhere in between, a time to take stock of our portion of gratitude and blessings for the coming season.”

Emmy Galbraith (she/her/hers)

Director of Children and Youth Ministry

#OctoberNewsletter