As summer ends, the seasons begin to shift and turn again. Although our climate in Texas does not feel autumnal, in the landscape of the soul there are whispers of fall’s inflection. These are transition times when dreams might announce a message, a new thought, or simply an idea.
I had such a dream a few nights ago. In this dream, I was sitting at a table with a priest from my church and with a friend from college who died over twenty years ago. In dreams, of course, all are welcome. I was holding an empty bowl woven from fibers. I was telling these two friends, from now and long ago, that I wove this bowl from strands of yarn from old sweaters, ribbons from old gifts, and hair from friends, family, and beloved animals. We continued to talk about how we weave our loves into our lives. I was touched by the connection in my heart across the years, and my waking thought was that yes, community endures.
Praying with this dream, I considered the woven empty bowl as perhaps reflecting an empty nest…my empty nest. We took our daughter to college a couple of weeks ago and are continuing to shift and adjust in our now quieter and seems-much-larger home. And then I wondered, what if the empty nest is only a holy space for what comes next? As I weave the bowl from love in my dream, could I be also preparing for the waiting grace that lies ahead? Knowing that love never ends, and that community endures, this coming season brings wonder and thankfulness…not only for what has been given but for what is to come.
So here’s to the autumn soon to be ours, to community and friends old and new, and to the beautiful nests we weave together. May we know the grace that calls us always toward the Holy One, toward life, toward Love itself.