It seems hard to believe that we human beings, knowing that we are born, grow, age and ultimately pass on, resist change. We seem to crave, on some level, stability. Yet life itself is never static. We expand or contract but seldom if ever come to real homeostasis.

Perhaps that is why in Proverbs we ask that we learn to number our days so that we may attain a heart of wisdom. Only by acknowledging change and embracing it can we truly come to terms with our lives. In that embrace is an affirmation that humans are capable of enormous change. Change for the better. We can recognize mistakes that have been made and avoid them in the future. We can see the harm that we have done and seek to heal it. We can bask in the glow of accomplishment, and knowing that good work leads to more good work, we can heed the words of Ecclesiastes and "rejoice in the works of our hands."

As we move through the fall and into the deepest darkness of winter, let us focus on the changes we would like to see and can affect. While snow blankets our world, let us think of the seeds we might plant in our lives and in our community that can blossom forth in the renewal of spring.

In this season of gifts and celebrations, let us contemplate the true gifts in our lives and give thanks for change and for becoming.