Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Season of Death

"I'm afraid to die," Freddie told Daniel. "I don't know what's down there."

"We all fear what we don't know, Freddie. It's natural," Daniel reassured him. "Yet, you were not afraid when Summer became Fall. They were natural changes. Why should you be afraid of the season of death?"

Leo Buscaglia, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

I love the contrast between the fall of Daniel or Freddie and the whole tree which changes to return in the spring--as well as this single picture of the one leaf falling against the background of the tree. One Life of the tree continues while the other life of the single leaf dies and falls off the branches.  Rather than a rational argument about life and death--we can "feel" our way into this contrast of images.  The whole Tree--the particular leaf.... Hold that thought please!

Unless those leaves fall to the ground, life withdrawing into the tree and root system--it would not survive the winter...even the tree itself must change. We are part of Life and its cycle with this one main difference--the cycle continues on with God, the Tree of Life.  What makes Christians a Christian is this incredible belief that Jesus as God enters the life cycle to show us the way through it to God.  He even dies to show how resurrection comes out of death.  We are not just part of the life cycle; we are related to God in a special way that takes us from a life cycle to Life itself. 




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