Nothing Gold Can Stay?

The calendar tells me it is not yet winter. Just took my walk. It was beautiful...seeing blue edging out between the clouds. But our once red-gold cul de sac is now bereft. Trees stand like somber sentinels pointing toward the sky. Perhaps they need a blanket of snow.

I am reminded of Robert Frost's beautifully melancholic poem. It speaks of the human condition: "Early leaf's flower" captures youthful innocence and beauty that last only an "hour." Eden sinking "to grief" speaks of our humanity and moral vulnerability, broken dreams, sicknesses, failures, disappointments and even our unanswered questions. Thus the poet concludes "Nothing gold can stay." Our beauty fades. Our dreams are broken. We sometimes fail. We struggle with pain in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay. -- Robert Frost

I can easily get caught up in the bittersweet emotion of this poem. It is a fitting poem for the winters of our lives. However postscript thoughts come to mind as well:

Our lives are more than the transient beauties of our world or even our youthful dreams. These treasures are shadows of beautiful things to come.

A shadow implies a reality. I am not sure what heaven will look like, but Scripture is replete with "treasure in heaven" "new heaven and new earth" "streets of gold," "everlasting life," "sorrow turned to joy," "tears wiped away," "marriage of the Lamb," Jesus as the "bright morning star." And so. . . perhaps the beauties of our earthly life which enchant us are meant to ENJOY, and also promises of Gold that CAN and DOES stay. . . for an eternity. The core of all things beautiful and the truth of love, kindness and friendship are eternal.

And so. . . by God's grace, I again, somewhat reluctantly but also expectantly let go of autumn. . . and allow a new season in nature and in life to move toward me.