Uniquely Fall... Like Fires

 

Daily Gratitude Year 13 - Day 305: Today, I am grateful for uniquely fall activities... like fires.

We all have our favorite fall activates. For us, sitting around a fire with family and friends is good. The scent of the wood, the S'mores, the hot dogs, and the laughter that always shows up. This is what "tribe" looks like. 

Every culture knows the need for warmth is the difference between life and death. We need fire/heat to survive. Cooking in a big pot over a fire with friends is possibly a part of what makes camping so popular. Do our human hearts long for a more simple life that focuses on what we need for this day... like our daily bread? 

Friday night fires are a tradition we practiced with family, neighbors, and friends when the weather was just right. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right. We have so many memories of those evenings. C.S. Lewis once wrote this in a letter:

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” -C.S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis

He is right. In this world where the current temperature is set at "How can I be offended?" I cannot help but wonder if the way communication has changed is partially to blame. 

We rarely disconnect from our devices. (I have them, too, so I am truly self-reflecting.) Around a fire we just chat. And sometimes, there is silence as we listen to the snap, crackle, and pop. We delight in the colors. We feel the warmth. The family dinner table is nearly lost, too. That is another place we can connect... and it is best phone free. 

There is something about many fall activities that interrupt our technology driven lives. Apple orchards, choosing a pumpkin at a local farm, a corn maze, pumpkin carving, football games, baking, festivals, canning, baking, and nights by a fire. Fall encourages us to disconnect and reconnect. 

Sometimes God speaks in the fire:

"There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.  “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” -Exodus 3:2-5

It is one of my favorite verses. I love being shoeless, but not around a fire. The bush did not burn and Moses was not injured. And, he knew that he must respect the holiness of God. If the fire speaks, it is a good idea to listen. 

Today, I am grateful for uniquely fall activities... like fires.