When I was a child growing up in Michigan, I used to love fall. It was the season of new clothes, basketball games, new teachers and new classes. Everything seemed like a fresh start. I would make new resolutions like “this year I will not miss any days of school”. I think I made that one each year, but somehow I seemed to come down with something just before the big project was due.

Even as an adult, fall is still a time of change and transition. Around the meetinghouse, fall brings new RE classes, new teaching teams, Covenant Circles, adult programs, and monthly themes. Everything seems to be in transition. For some, this transition brings about excitement and joy; for others, transition can be challenging.

My son Logan is a pretty resilient little guy, but even at age four, he is beginning to understand the changes that occur this time of year. He is moving to a new preschool class. He is so excited to learn new things, meet new teachers, and discover new toys in his new room. Yet I find myself spending a lot of time talking with him about how he will miss his old teachers and the Rescue Heroes in the Dolphin classroom.

At any age, transition is a part of our growth as a person. One of my favorite quotes is “Transition is the natural process of disorientation and reorientation that marks the turning points in the path of growth...transitions are key times in the natural process of self-renewal.”

As we are on the brink of this new season, may you find your own path to growth and self-renewal.

In faith,

Michelle