I love fall so much that I prefer to call it Autumn with a capital “A.” The word sounds richer, and I believe it deserves the personification of a proper noun. You may disagree, but just consider these attributes: Bulky sweaters. Gorgeous leaves. Bonfires. Hot chocolate. More after-dark hours for snuggling on the sofa. Prequel to Thanksgiving and Christmas. This list goes on and on.

But I think I love Autumn most because of the spirit of ingathering. Ingathering (also known as Booths) was one of the three main feasts for the Jews in ancient times. It celebrated the gathering in of their crops and also commemorated Jews being  gathered-in from their captivity in Egypt. (Thus, booths, the temporary shelters they built and camped in for seven days to remind them of the Exodus.)

As a mother, I’ve always had a sense of gathering in at this time of year. I’m not sure if it is the shorter hours of daylight, the cooler temperatures, or just the sense that winter is coming. Something always makes me reach out (at least in my heart) and try to pull everyone in close to home.

Maybe this need for ingathering is more than a motherly instinct, though. Maybe it is part of our spiritual identity. Maybe we all innately long for a time when Jesus will return and round up His children for that one last, great ingathering of souls.

Maybe we love Autumn because we were made for such a time as this.

Maybe.