Saturday, October 16, 2010

A Season for Everything

“And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 2:9).

     “Where did the summer go?” I sighed, as August ended and the month of September began. Now it’s October, soon to be November. Every year, I feel so sad when the hot weather gives way to the cooler, colder windy days and nights of autumn. Summer is my favorite season. I can wear shorts, tank tops, sandals, visit the beach, swim, enjoy the sunshine, go for early evening walks and watch the sunset at 9 pm instead of 7 pm. For me, autumn has always been a bleak sign that the freezing cold winter is fast approaching. The shorter days. Bare trees. The snow. Cabin fever. Ugh!
     But this fall season my perspective changed.
     Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt a strong desire to focus on the vibrant colors of the leaves and photograph them in all their splendor. For the most part, I’ve always sort of admired the fall foliage. But for some strange reason, this year the leaves really wooed me.
     The fiery reds and oranges, deep burgundies, vibrant yellows, golds, and browns came alive — especially through the lens of my camera.
     The multicolored leaves speak volumes of the Lord’s creative handiwork. The deep green leaves of summer miraculously transform into a veritable rainbow, a painter’s palette of vivid hues and tones. It’s so characteristic of our Lord to give us such a beautiful, transitional season to enjoy right before winter.  
     As I marveled at the brilliant foliage, I wondered, “How do the deep green leaves change into such a beautiful array of colors?” (I learned about this in science class years ago, but I forgot the details.)
     According to http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html, leaves are nature’s food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air. They use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. Plants use this glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growth. The manner in which plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar is called photosynthesis, which somehow involves the chemical chlorophyll that’s responsible for giving plants their green color.

     As the days get shorter and shorter, the trees instinctively know it’s time to prepare for winter (Genesis 1:14). No longer is there enough light or water for photosynthesis, so the trees turn off their food-making machines, the chlorophyll disappears from their leaves, and the glorious yellows, reds and oranges emerge. Interestingly, small amounts of these colors are already in the leaves. We just can’t see them in the summer, because the chlorophyll dominates.
     So even if you’re a lover of the hot weather like me, don’t let this autumn season pass you by without stopping and enjoying the colorful landscape the Lord has painted. You’ll gain a new appreciation for the fall season and wonder why you didn’t take much notice before. 

26 comments:

  1. Hi Judy,

    I recently read about chlorophyll and why leaves change colors in the fall; I had no idea of the wondful orchestration and synergy of creation. It gave me a further reason to praise God and wonder at His power in life.

    When I moved from Texas to Virginia, I discovered so many different hues and colors of autumn. Thank you for sharing A Season for Everything, it is a wonderful testimony to God's creativity.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

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  2. I love fall...and now I have more to think about when I am walking on crunchy leaves...

    Doris

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  3. Hi Judith -

    I have been waiting for your autumn photos since you mentioned that you would be posting some. Thank you for this splendid display.
    Also, I have never heard of the science website that you mentioned. Indeed, I will visit there. Thank you for sharing those science facts.

    Here in D.C., much color change has not happened in the leaves yet...maybe in about a week. I plan to photograph when more is noticeable.

    Have you considered creating a blog just for your photography? I did because I have begun to take a lot... Please think about it as there are many people who love viewing photography.

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  4. Hi Judith -

    You left me a message on my PHOTORAMA blog to let you know what I think. About what, please?
    Are you talking about the Michael Jackson piece that you wrote? I came here to look for an article on Michael Jackson and did not notice it on your blog.

    Help, please (smiles)

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  5. Hi Judith -

    I was not able to leave a comment on your Michael Jackson site - I could not figure out how so I responded to you about it on my PHOTORAMA blog. My response is lengthy and I did not want to impose here with Michael Jackson info.

    Hint: Your article gets from me 2 thumbs up!

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  6. Judy - I am a summer girl through-and-through!! I usually feel the cold air of autumn creep into my body...and think, OH NO - WINTER'S COMING!! But your beautiful pictures, and inspiring words, are changing my perspective a little bit, too. God is such an amazing Painter - His colors are breath-taking! His creation is a Master-piece!!

    GOD BLESS!

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  7. Hi Judy:

    Thanks for coming by! Your page is beautiful and I love Fall, but we don't have a hard winter in Texas, or I might feel differently. :)

    Blessings!

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  8. Time goes by so fast. I've never been able to find the brakes! I can't believe Christmas is only a little over 8 weeks away! I'm glad there won't be any clocks or calendars in heaven :-)

    ~Ron

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  9. Thanks for the lesson in science, which I found intriguing. Your post makes me think about the wonder of God’s creation in a whole new light. By the way, since I live in the deep south where even the winter is mild, I like the fall. Like you, however, I don’t like the fact that darkness comes so early.

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  10. Hi Judith -

    I saw one of your comments today on www.frankkingshorts.blogspot.com. Your comment is dated October 2, 2010 under his topic, "Watch How You Judge," dated September 29, 2010. I commented...

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  11. very cool shots

    I love fall, and winter :)

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  12. Hi Judy,
    I'm a nature girl. I love the beauty of the Fall, but I sure wish it didn't have to get cold. Great post and shots.

    Fall and Spring are such beautiful times of year that show forth the splendor of God. But I'm an island girl. Give me the hot weather, none-the-less, I love to experience God in all the seasons.

    By the way, thanks for all your great comments.

    God bless.

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  13. Great post, because like you, I am a summer person. I find it hard to really enjoy fall knowing that winter is close behind. But again, like you, I just couldn't help but enjoy the beautiful colors around me and the crisp blue cloudless sky. "To everything there is a season...".

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  14. Judy...you are right..I have been a follower a long time. And I'll take steps to see that I visit more often.

    The pictures are great and I see that you really do like summer and the warm weather. I'm waiting for the coldest weather God has in store for us myself...I love cold weather.

    Our God is such an artist...He can take His favorite colors blue(the sky) and green(summer follage) and with the brush of a winters' storm, turn everything into the most gorgious blue and white. Don't you just love Him???

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  15. Hi Stan,

    Glad you stopped by. Hope to converse with you again soon.

    J.

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  16. We're at the empty canvas stage where our leaves are concerned. Like you, summer is my favorite time of year. This winter, we are going to have to endure 6 months of cold as opposed to a mere 6 weeks if that. :) I found your post refreshing and encouraging at the same time.

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  17. Thank you for such an inspiring post showing all of the beauty of God's creation. It is such a blessing too visit your blog. God bless, Lloyd

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  18. People sometimes wonder why I love living in Virginia because we can have some harsh winters and the summers are often hot and muggy. I they would visit during spring and fall, I think they would get it. Living in an area that has full seasonal changes offers the rewards of seeing the trees flower in spring and the amazing display of the changing leaves in fall, which is by far my favorite time of year. You have done a great job of capturing the color. Keep up the good work.

    Jeff

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  19. I call this time of year "the last hurrah". The flowers in my yard are blooming vigorously, and the air is cool. It is a reminder from God that he creates all of this beauty in nature and we will be on a rejuvenating break soon.

    Your pictures are lovely! We do not have much color yet, but I wait with anticipation!!!

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  20. Hi Beth,

    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I've stopped by your blog to leave a message, but I can't because i have to become a team member. How do I become a team member? I wanted to leave a message on your latest post about parental discernment and the forgiven forever post. Thanks again. Hope to hear from you soon.

    Blessings,
    Judy

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  21. Hi Judith -

    Thank you for visiting my PHOTORAMA/PLUS blog today. I am getting ready to post a suggestion piece on my other blog www.lioneaglesoar.blogspot. The subject piece will probably remain on that blog for about 2 weeks and then be removed....

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  22. Hi Judith -

    I am going to answer you in the comment area of my blog but I was not sure if you would go back to read it so I will answer here, as well.

    No, I did not know about that site...will go to view it. How did you find out about that?

    You mentioned doing a separate photo blog. What about your blog page here? Will you remove the separate photo page indicated here (under construction)?

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  23. Hi Sandra,

    I found out about this by chance. A friend of mine stores her photos on that site. I told her I was storing my photos at mypicturetown.com, a site that Nikon hosts. I really like it. But anyway, she told me about picasaweb.com. When I went to the site, I typed in my google email address and password and instantly my photos from my blog popped up. I was shocked.

    I tried to delete them, but the site said that if I deleted them, they would automatically be deleted from my blog. I was so upset. So I did some digging to find out why my photos were being stored there. And that's when I found out that google uses that site to store all blogger photos. I'm ok with it now. But when I start my photo blog, I'm going to create a separate account for it, because picasaweb.com only allows you to store up to 1G of photos for free. I don't know what happens if you go over the 1G of free space. I need to do some more research. With all of the pictures I have, plus the ones from my current blog, I'd easily go over the 1G of space pretty quickly. So by separating this blog from my photo blog, I wouldn't use up the 1G as fast.

    J.

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  24. Hi Judith -

    Thank you - this is indeed helpful to know...

    I appreciate the headsup

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