The fall equinox occurs this year on Thursday, September 22. The sun crosses the celestial equator into the southern hemisphere as the North Pole tilts away from Sol. The date marks the advent of autumn in the northern hemisphere.  

Most people do not calendar their lives by astronomical dates. We ease into the season, experiencing fall on an installment plan. Consider some extended signs of fall’s arrival.  

• The first day of school
• The start of the college football season
• Labor Day weekend
• Exchanging shorts for blue jeans and sandals for shoes
• The burnt-dust breath of a furnace awakened from its summer slumber
• The scent of fireplace smoke in the air
• Maple trees blushing bright red
• Piping-hot chili and cornbread
• Jack-o-lanterns adorning porches
• First frost coating lawns in gossamer silver
• Pumpkin spice flavored food and drinks
• Homecomings at high schools and colleges
• Trees shedding brown leaves like unwanted burdens

The Lord calls us to appreciate and enjoy every season of life. Taste, touch, smell, hear, and see that God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.