Summer has ebbed and fall is stirring. And what a beautiful summer it was. And what a beautiful fall it’s starting out to be. As I look out my kitchen window at the field of flowers planted by Morning Glory Farm, it is still a palette of reds, yellows, pinks, whites, as well as every color of grass. The flowers stand tall against blue sky. No frost or cool evening has compromised their growth and I get to enjoy every ounce of beauty. It has been that way for the almost 30 years since we bought our home and realized what an extra bonus we got with the view across that field. Oh that field! Some years it is filled with vegetables, which take their color from the roots and leaves. And when the sun is setting and the field is in its spotlight, it is truly breathtaking. Shadows everywhere, glistening dew, gentle breezes.

Which brings me to another thought. So many of us listened to or watched the Pope this week with his messages of grace, kindness, family, forgiveness, pain and suffering — and, most of all love. Within a matter of hours or days, our world was back in turmoil. Our government was up and fighting. Our elected officials were back in the schoolyard, bullying. Don’t we all wish for just a little civility? And as here on the Vineyard, where at times there are constant issues of discontent, vendettas, people against people, pettiness against pettiness, it remains a place of rejuvenation and beauty that nourishes and challenges constantly. Season after season. Flower after flower. Field after field.

As for every blossom in my field, they continue to bring joy. As do the loving messages of the Pope.