the thing about crickets

When I was little, my dad and brother went to a barber named Alfred. A barber. Named Alfred. I know, classic.

Alfred was a short guy, Italian, with a big smile and glasses. He was friendly to no end and brother and I always enjoyed visiting the shop.

I don't really remember much about Alfred; if he had kids, if he was married, where he was from. But I do remember one thing he told us once, in passing. He probably forgot it the second after he said it, but somehow I think of him every single August.

He said, "Whenever the crickets start chirping at night, you know that fall is just around the corner."

It hit me like a revelation. I had always associated the chirping of crickets with summer, not autumn. My first reaction to this revelation was denial. "No, it can't be!" I thought. Crickets sang in the summer, my favorite season. The coming of autumn was the biggest thorn in my flesh; I hated the thought of days ending sooner and the endless requirement of shoes and sleeves. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he might be right. Perhaps I hadn't actually noticed crickets until later in the season. 

Alfred's short sentence had single-handedly changed my perspective on life. 

I loved summer and hated thinking about its end. But now the waning of summer held new bittersweet anticipation: the cheerful song that comforted me as I fell asleep.

Last night as I lay in bed, windows open, cool night air coming in, everything dark but the warm sky, I realized that the crickets were singing. "Things are changing, slowly but surely," they seemed to chant. I realized that summer, along with it's hot golden sun and endless outdoor activities, is beginning to fade, once again. But because summer is leaving, that means my birthday is coming. It means I'm one day closer to reuniting with some of my closest friends next month. It means that God is still guiding this planet in the same direction it always has; which means He never changes, and neither does His love.

xo

jess

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG)