I have watched the beautiful autumn leaves turn to brown … then dance in the sky as they are blown from the outstretched arms of their branches… until one last leaf remains. Cynthia Ryland wrote: “In November the trees are standing, all sticks and bones, without their leaves. How lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.” And I think about how we are now entering into perhaps the busiest time of the year… Maybe it’s time for me to take a lesson from nature as December is now upon us… I need to make sure I pause like the trees…. to listen to the Lord… to reflect on my countless blessings… and on the upcoming birth of Jesus Christ. Clyde Watson wrote: “November comes and November goes, With the last red berries And the first white snow. With night coming early And dawn coming late, And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate. The fires burn And the kettles song, And earth sinks to rest, Until next spring.” Psalm 62:5-6 “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He is my rock and my salvation; my fortress, where I will not be shaken.”