Most of the trees here in this little part of the world are still heavy with green leaves, but, in small patches, there is a glimpse of what is to come. The deepest green just a few short weeks ago, the Oaks are now starting to show a lighter shade, some a little yellow, some tinged in copper, the rest waiting patiently for their time to come. Meanwhile, more beautiful than any human made stained glass, the evening sun illuminates those leaves already embracing their new hues in the season’s change, as if drops of gold could grow on old trees.
Around here, the squirrels are competing and challenging one another for the bountiful harvest of acorns. My grandmother Ava would say “that’s a sure sign of a cold, hard winter.” My Dad would say “Everything we need to know is right in front of us, we just need to pay attention.” I miss them. I would say I miss their wisdom, but I try to use it – even if I don’t speak it – every day.
These are those in-between days. Summer is slow to leave, still wanting to linger, still heating the afternoon air beyond sweater range, still bringing the occasional evening storm as a backdrop for its annual dance with Autumn. Autumn, for its part, seems to be slowly gaining control, emerging from the storms with heavy blankets of fog in the coolness of the morning, soon lifted through the trees up to reveal clear blue skies and another day to dance with the earliest falling leaves.
Just before the sun slipped below the horizon this evening, I looked up once more. The droplets of gold and copper were no longer shining. Instead the huge, trees stood like silhouettes against a glowing evening sky. Earlier than even just last week, one more hint of the beautiful changes that autumn brings.
And so here’s to us, my friends, may we all remember to take a few moments as we prepare for tomorrow, or the next event in our lives, or the next storm, etc, to be thankful for these little reminders as we wait for Autumn: Change can be beautiful………
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