I’m Sorry, but I Hate Fall

Autumn…Did You Know It’s a Symbol of Death?

I’ve always hated Fall. Autumn. The changing of leaf colors. The cold breeze. The way the sunlight seems to cast down upon us differently. Longer hours of darkness. Wet rain. Back to school. Hardly anything interesting on the church calendar. The stupid “holiday” of Halloween. The death of my best friend Roberto (+11/19/2008). Sweaters, long pants. Unpredictable weather: mornings cold, afternoons hot. Animals going away. Heating bills increasing. Seemingly more tired.

Fall in 2012 was when I had to come to terms with the destruction of my first marriage. Fall of 2013 was when I had to deal with the stresses of a new relationship and a new baby, and the reactions of everyone who knew me. Seasonal affective disorder, maybe? Who knows. But I hate the Fall.

I actually prefer the Winter, because even though everything by wintertime is dead, you get snow which is pretty, and the holiday season (yes, literalists, I realize that Fall ends on December 20th), visits with family, and Winter vacation to spend time with your kids…

Bishop Christodoulos came to visit us in Raleigh in the Fall of 2007, along with Fr. Savvas Anastasiou and Fr. Lawrence Girard (may he rest in peace), and he preached a sermon which solidified my hatred of the Fall, because of precisely how it reflects the Fall of Man (Fall Reflects the Fall). The changes of the leaf colors are symbolic of death. This is not what God intended for man.

I don’t mean to depress anyone, but amongst the crowd of people talking about how pretty the leaf changes are and how nice it is that Starbucks has brought back the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, I will say what I know a segment of the population feels, and I will affirm that it is okay to feel this way.

But rest assured, just as Adam brought death upon mankind, soon we will experience the Spring Resurrection and the Summer of blessedness, courtesy of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.