September: Time of Carrot and Stick

This time of the year there are lots of carrots and sticks presenting before us all! I was walking in a school yard yesterday and passed by an apple and a pear tree, both laden with healthy fruit nearly ready for the picking. This sight was alongside the falling autumn leaves and forthcoming dormancy and evident overground growth. My sense of smell caught the smell of freshness from the fruit and that of decay from the mushy leaves underfoot.

The carrots and sticks present in the choices that we make this time of the year. The choices determine what resources we need in order to sustain a way of being where we can draw on the sustenance that we need along with the necessary time to let efforts reap fruits in the correct time also. As the trees currently hosting fruit need a fresh supply of nutrients to bring about the same growth next year, we need the same also in whatever form is relevant: balance of life, choice of family weekly activities, rest time ....

The results that the year will bear, grow from the moment we make a commitment to anything that becomes regular in our lives or for that year. For me, this month is the one which takes most effort as it is the foundational one with heavy lifting that will smooth the path for the months ahead, as is the case for anyone influenced by the cycle of the school year - most people.

The image of a stick is generally a negative one! Yet, we use sticks to ease pressure and give strength when climbing mountains; we use sticks to build beautiful and protective boundaries around property; we use sticks for many games .... Perception is sometimes everything! The image of a carrot or apple dangling before a donkey, mule or pony as a reward for work has almost always worked; unless the animal is exceptionally stubborn!

So with whatever sticks we need to support us as we climb into autumn, let's keep an eye on the carrot also!

Cathy Burke,
Catechist in the Lucan Partnership of Parishes