Maria Jackson’s Post

Fall: The Season of Transition The idea that fall is the "spring of winter" beautifully captures the season's essence as a time of transition. Just as spring heralds the awakening of nature after the dormancy of winter, fall signals the beginning of a new cycle, albeit one that leads towards a period of rest and renewal. Here are some more thoughts on fall: A Season of Change and Beauty: Nature's Transformation: Fall is a time of vibrant colors as leaves change hues and trees shed their foliage. This transformation is a stark reminder of the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of change. Harvest Time: In many cultures, fall is associated with the harvest season. It's a time of abundance and gratitude as people reap the fruits of their labor. Cozy Comfort: The cooler temperatures and shorter days of fall invite us to seek warmth and comfort indoors. This can be a time for cozy evenings by the fireplace, reading, or spending quality time with loved ones. A Time for Reflection and Renewal: Letting Go: Just as nature sheds its leaves, fall can be a time for letting go of what no longer serves us. This can include old habits, negative thoughts, or relationships that are no longer fulfilling. Renewal and Rebirth: The transition from summer to winter can be seen as a metaphor for the cycle of life and death. Just as nature prepares for dormancy in winter, we can use fall as a time for introspection and renewal, setting the stage for a fresh start in the new year. #alawandos #change #transformation #renewal #rebirth #freshstart #transition #gratitude #abundance #betteryou

Advent Day 14: The Cold Truth. Cold is a double-edged force. For many, winter’s chill brings peril – a stark reminder that warmth is a privilege not all have. Homelessness, war, & poverty leave countless people exposed to the bitter reality of cold. Yet nature thrives on winter’s cold embrace. Many seeds need a period of cold to break dormancy, readying themselves for spring's renewal. Frost helps by killing potential plant pathogens, protecting future growth. Snow, though it seems harsh, acts as an insulator, shielding plants beneath its icy quilt. Even for us, cold has its merits. Exercising outdoors in winter can boost endorphins – those feel-good hormones – as the body works harder to stay warm. Cold sharpens the senses, invigorates the spirit, & offers a unique clarity. The teasels in my garden, dusted with snow, stand resilient. Their frozen seed heads still provide food for goldfinches, a testament to nature’s endurance. Cold strips away, resets, & prepares the world for new beginnings. It is both a challenge & a catalyst for growth. #NatureAdvent #WinterCold #EndorphinBoost #SeasonalCycles #SeedsInWinter #FrostAndSnow #LifeInWinter #Teasel #ResilienceInNature #ColdWeather #ColdTruths

Why do I feel like we are moving through a twister? There’s less daylight. There’s more tumult in our news feeds. Some days, waking before the sun makes us want to roll over. Maybe we check our phones before we even make a move. We pull ourselves from bed, one foot on the ground, then the next. We stand, breathe, and notice the sky. What do we make of this? Here’s what I think: You have already begun the walk of your best life. Each day is a choice to discover what can bring some levity to your day. On those days when it feels tough to find it, look toward December 21. At 4:19 a.m. the winter solstice will arrive. It signifies the start of winter. Winter. During the holiday season, there are colder days, and maybe snow. And it is when it will be a little lighter every day. For some indigenous nations winter, when the earth sleeps, is the time to create a seed bundle. Here you gather your hopes for the year ahead. Your (fall) harvest is complete. You have a sense of what has worked and what has not, what to keep, what to change. Now, winter, when there’s incrementally more light each day you gather your seeds to cultivate a version of the world you wish to create. Because you can. Because the hope, the seeds, the light, is you. 

"A Truth I Discovered on My Trek That Every Parent Needs to Hear" — Recently, I was reading an article published by India Hikes, one of the biggest trekking companies, and it struck a chord with me. But this isn’t just something I read; it’s something I’ve felt deeply, again and again, on my own treks. I’ve seen kids and young people—sometimes the age of my own friends' children—who are so disconnected from nature. And it’s strange, isn't it? We are a part of nature, born from the very soil we walk on, but somehow, kids today look at the forest or the countryside with fear, as if nature is something distant or dangerous. Now, think about this: everything we are, everything we consume, it all comes from nature. Our food, the air we breathe, even the medicines that heal us. We’re soil, and everything around us comes from it. If we’re cut off from that, what are we left with? Just think of how we’re born weighing a couple of kilos, and we grow into adults, into these bodies of fifty kilos, sixty kilos. And where does it come from? The soil, the plants, the food. We are literally made of nature. Parents, this is what I want you to think about. It’s crucial, for the future of your children, to cultivate that bond with the earth. If they don’t understand it now, if they don’t feel it in their bones, they won’t protect it later. And we know what that means—it means losing the very foundation of life. It’s not about forcing them into anything; it’s about letting them feel at home in the world they came from. Let’s keep nature alive within our kids, so they grow to respect and care for it, not to fear or ignore it. That’s how we keep the soil, the air, the life that sustains us, alive for generations to come. #savesoil #treks #trekking #parents #parenting #nature #savenature

Halfway through #30C month, I’m going to zoom out today from compost to a wider pattern that it shares with all living systems. Living things die, decay, are transformed, and become the very stuff of new life. Every one of us, born of a mother’s body and blood, is composed of bits first decomposed from countless living things that borrowed these building blocks before us. In our bodies, dying cells are constantly broken down and cycled into the growth of new ones. Fallen trees, decomposed by fungi, are the scaffold of the living forest. “It is the pattern of all vegetable life. It must belittle itself into something hard, small and deathlike, it must fall into the ground: thence the new life re-ascends.” The senescence of autumn and decay of winter are inevitably succeeded by the rebirth of spring. The whole #30C gang and I are celebrating compost this month because it harnesses and reflects this life pattern in a tangible, accelerated form we can all participate in to heal our soils, our plants, and our bodies. Today, I join a much larger company to celebrate the culmination of this pattern in its purest distillation. “The pattern is there in Nature because it was first there in God. All the instances of it which I have mentioned turn out to be but transpositions of the Divine theme into a minor key.  "I am not now referring simply to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. The total pattern, of which they are only the turning point, is the real Death and Re-birth: for certainly no seed ever fell from so fair a tree into so dark and cold a soil as would furnish more than a faint analogy to this huge descent and re-ascension in which God dredged the salt and oozy bottom of Creation.” Happy Easter, y'all. Quotes from C. S. Lewis’ Miracles, 1947 #Easter #Resurrection #DeathToLife #CSLewis #Compost

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Prov 17:22) "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot." (Prov 14:30) "It's a good that God created oceans before creating marine life" (see Gen 1) The first thing that God sanctifies is always his living space, his environment. We might say that sanctification is divine ecology ~ Juergen Moltmann Environment is vital to life; for without it life would be difficult or impossible. Our environment or living space is a holy space; a space where life is meant to prosper, mature and provide life for others. What is in your environment? Is the air of your environment life giving or life taking? May our emotional and spiritual living spaces, our environments, have breathable, healthy air that fosters life in others; may our environments not be filled with the pollutants of fear, shame and anxiety but love, joy and peace. If you are in need of an environmental cleaning, may you cast all your cares on Christ today so that He might release the purity of His love and life to bring clarity and wholeness to you. May all who enter our living space (environment) find themselves overwhelmed by an environment that energizes, heals and restores; the healing air of Christ that fosters hope and reminds us of who we are and what we were created for. Diagnostic questions for environmental cleansing: 1. What is the dominant emotion that you exhaust? 2. Are things living or dying in your environment? 3. What is living and what is dying? 4. Are you too hot or too cold emotionally? 5. Is the soil condition of your heart healthy, muddy, or hard? 6. Is the harvest life-giving and tasty? Take time to process these questions with the Lord and a trusted and godly saint...praying we all create healthy, godly and life-giving spaces for people to encounter the love of our most amazing Father.

Rain is the sunshine of our lives By Dr. John Steytler As we rapidly approach the end of the year, we often take stock and review the year. What have we achieved? Did our resolutions withstand the pressures of everyday life, or will we try again in the new year? Whether you separate your year into personal and work triumphs and challenges or lump it all together, you must always keep looking toward the future. https://lnkd.in/dAvttCaV

How Earth Feeds Metal ♻ This nourishing cycle between the elements exists because there is a natural flow of nourishment from one season to the next. 🍂 For instance, how we spend our late summer harvest season has a lot to do with how we will feel in the autumn. Late summer is a time of gathering our harvest and taking in nourishment. If we spend our late summer in an indolent torpor eating ice cream on the porch, we go into autumn with much less that we can be proud of, or truly value in our lives. If, however, we can align with the gifts of late summer and cultivate the health of that season—for instance by working hard at that season which will nourish us—we enter autumn with a great sense of wealth. ⚕ The health, resiliency, and resources of each element or season are passed on to the next element or season. If you want to learn more about this, you can watch my video: https://lnkd.in/eRWzGayu

SCORPIONS COME OUT AT NIGHT Unlike many non-existent monsters, ghosts, and other scary things humans have dreamed up and relegated to the dark, scorpions are very real - and due to their nocturnal habits, they really do come out at night. Of course, it doesn't hurt that scorpions have as many as a dozen eyes (one pair on the top of the head and the other pairs on the front edges of the head) that allow them to navigate and detect objects in a minimal amount of light. The real question is - do you have anything to worry about if scorpions invade your home? The following are two concerns that you should be aware of. LEARN ABOUT STRIDE’S SERVICE HERE! https://ow.ly/GkMO50SPIqv SCORPION STINGS Most scorpion species in the United States are nonlethal (with two major exceptions primarily found in Arizona). As such, they're usually more scary than deadly. Although most adults do not require medical attention for a scorpion sting, the sting can be painful with a burning sensation and accompanied by redness and swelling. Young children and older adults are most likely to suffer serious complications and should potentially seek medical care. ATTRACTION TO FOOD As a cousin to spiders, mites, and ticks, scorpions eat insects as their primary food source. If you see scorpions in your home or business, it could mean that you have an insect infestation that is attracting the scorpions with plenty to eat. These harbingers can be a warning to look for other, more serious home invaders. GET ASSISTANCE Covered in your Basic Plan, Stride can take care of your scorpion problem as well as whatever insect infestation that attracted them. Give us a call. Our trained technicians know what signs to look for and will quickly have your pest problem back under control. Learn more about our service and take advantage of this month’s promotions HERE: https://ow.ly/GkMO50SPIqv #stridepestcontrol #pestcontrol #austintexas #sanantonio #supportlocal #shoplocal #roundrock #pflugerville #georgetowntx #scorpions

🍁*Embrace Your Season!*🍁 Every fall, I watch as all the trees around me turn color and release their leaves in a beautiful cascade. But my tree? It’s different. It holds onto its leaves longer than any other—often into the first snow, finally shedding them only when it’s ready. One winter, the weight of the snow became so heavy that it tore off one of its large branches. I feared the worst, but after treating its wound, my tree bounced back, thriving and flourishing in defiance of what seemed a near-fatal setback. My tree is resilient, and it’s beautiful just as it is. Its timing might be different from every other tree, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Just like trees adapt to their unique environments, each of us has our own timing, designed for a specific purpose. Studies in plant biology reveal that trees retain their leaves longer or drop them sooner as part of a survival mechanism. Trees that hold onto their leaves may be storing extra nutrients for a late surge in growth, preparing themselves to withstand harsher conditions. And in much the same way, we sometimes hold onto dreams or wait longer in seasons when others seem to move forward. Just as God placed wisdom in every part of nature, He also orchestrates our timing. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we’re reminded: “To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Just because others may be in a season of change doesn’t mean that your time isn’t coming. Like my tree, you may simply be built to hold on a bit longer to prepare for the growth that’s ahead. The moral of the story: Your timing is unique to you. Embrace it. Let God’s purpose for your season unfold in His perfect time. Hold on if you need to, because He may be preparing you to thrive in ways you can’t yet see. #SeasonsOfLife #Godstiming #ResilientFaith #EmbraceYourSeason