Fall is here! Time falls back. Leaves fall down. Nuts fall from loaded tree limbs into the waiting arms of squirrels. Autumn has come and, along with it for many, a sense of dread of the coming winter.

For me, fall is nature at her most brilliant. There’s a line in the movie “The Color Purple” that says, "I believe it pisses God off when we walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice." I believe God is also pissed when we don’t take notice of the show He puts on for us in Autumn.

Autumn is like the crescendo in a favorite piece of music. It screams, "If you don’t pay attention any other time, notice now! Notice all my colors! Red! Orange! Yellow! Brown!" In autumn more than any other season, nature seems to try to engage us -- to catch our attention.

Look at the harvest nature has provided for us. Big orange pumpkins. Yellow and orange gourds. Golden fields of hay and grain. New pink yams! The seasons last pears all mellow and sweet. Persimmons. See them. Taste them. Savor them.

Fall is the time of the year when nature emits a fragrance. The musty smell of old leaves! The rich smell of flowers ripe with bloom. The familiar smell of wood burning from first season fires.

There are also the sounds of autumn. The crunch of dried leaves under foot. The sounds made by falling nuts and sycamore spurs. The noisy sound of the wild geese as we witness their formation fly-over towards their winter home. The rusty sound the tall grass makes when swept by the wind.

Winter, throughout history, has been thought of and written about with a nostalgic feeling of sadness and loss. Loss of daylight, time and opportunity. Winter has been likened to ld age in the life of man. It is the time when life, like winter, becomes harsh and tiresome and ends in death.

Fall is the rude interrupter that says to winter, "You lie!" You see, it’s during the Autumn season that seeds are dropped. Fruits, grains and vegetables all become hard and inedible and then give back seeds as a joyous sign that life will go on. Autumn says, "Yes, winter will come and cover the ground with snow and ice, yet secret seeds are preserved and already hold the promise of new beginnings." Fall whispers, "Take heart. There is life in that seed!"

Autumn is nature’s statement before winter. It says," Prepare! Know that there will be cold, hard days ahead, but draw near to my fire." It says, "Huddle with your family and friends and be warmed. Leave the gardens alone -- let the weeds take them. You can try again next year."

In Autumn, nature promises us that there will be other harvests after the coming cold. That the sunflowers will bloom again and that bare trees, seemingly dead, will bear fruit again. That the cold skies will clear and the sun’s warmth is not gone away forever. It says, "For now, wrap up and wait. Just hold on."

Autumn is the little child at the door saying, “Please come out and play.”

Autumn is the expectant woman in whose womb holds the promise of new life.

Autumn is the old man who says, "I want to tell you a secret."

Autumn is the billboard flashing with color inviting -- beseeching -- us to bear witness. Fall dresses up in its finest and invites us all to the show. Lets not miss it.

D. Barbara McWhite grew up in York County and now lives in Orange Park, Fla.

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