As I was sitting today on a picturesque old dock, that stretches out into Maryland’s beautiful Chesapeake Bay, something in the water caught my eye. It was a maple leaf that had fallen from a tree and was floating gently with the tide.

As I watched the leaf move slowly with the current, I was reminded again of this new season of Fall that has just arrived… a time of change… a time of reflection… a time of new beginnings.

When a leaf falls, buds appear, sprouting new life.  The new leaves will make food and nourish the tree, so it can continue to grow and prosper.

The same thing happens to me. When life is difficult, as it so often is,   I fall, too … many times.

I want to learn from this little maple leaf that when I fall, Jesus is always there to pick me up… to encourage me… to lift me… to keep me afloat.

When I stumble, may I always realize that falling is an opportunity for new growth for me as well… growth that will nourish me and make me stronger, just like the maple tree.

I thank God for the gift of this little leaf today. May I hold tightly to its message of change… of rebirth…of hope.