Photo was taken yesterday morning at Col√°iste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co.Cork (Irl)

Some leaves covered in frost tell their own story of the first sharp frost of the winter.

Thought on Wednesday – November – 23/11/2011

‘November is the pause button of the year, if we could but open our hearts to it. It comes to us, not wrapped in the glowing colours of other seasons, but in sombre, dark tones.’ ~Charlie Meagher

Not many would put November down as their favourite month. It is easy to see why. All around the landscape is bleak and bare, our gardens are empty of colour, we feel starved of light and long for those warm summer days. We try and distract ourselves away from the dreariness of November by simply being busy. But it is our loss if we try and run away from what November has to offer. It offers us the invitation to pause, to look at our own lives and to think about those parts of our lives that also feel bleak, cold and in darkness. Jesus was laid into a dark empty tomb on Good Friday and the stone was rolled into a sealed position. It was meant to be the end. But it wasn’t. Whatever is bleak, barren, dark or cold in our lives comes with a promise of new life, change and most importantly hope. November may not be our favourite month but it does have a lot to offer.