Dear Fall Leaves, (please note: this has nothing to do with the election)
You’re beautiful. During the summer, I loved your greenness, but now, I just sit and stare out the window and smile. I even took a picture of you and made it the banner for my website. Gorgeous! There’s just one thing….
You seem to be falling off the trees and covering my dying grass. I really don’t like that. It brings me down. And you probably don’t realize this, but without you, those condominiums behind our house practically look like they’re sitting in our backyard. Seriously, I can watch those people’s TV’s. I need my privacy. (And so do they.)
I read this story yesterday about this guy who had a wish, and he asked for things to stay the same. He didn’t want to grow old. He didn’t want his stuff to wear out and break, so he wished for nothing to change. The only problem was things didn’t change. The fallow ground didn’t turn to life, the poor little baby’s teeth never came in, and the world stopped growing.
Change is necessary for real growth to take place, but sometimes it really stinks. I don’t want the leaves to fall away, but then I do love spring, and I’m especially fond of summer, so if I have to go through this to get to somewhere better, then I suppose I can handle it.
I will miss you though, and the trees will be lonely without you. But I won’t just wish these days away, ignoring the present as I hope for flowers to bloom and baby birds to hide in your new color. I won’t do that. That’s not really making the best use of the change, is it? I mean, if things have to change, if they can’t stay the same, then somewhere along the way, I need to learn how to embrace all of that, not run from it. Ugh…that just reminded me of my wrinkles and gray hair. If only I could walk around with my ipiccy face all day…but what would the trade-off be. Maybe I wouldn’t grow so much. I’d be stuck, and I don’t want that. So, I guess I’ll make the most of these changes I’m forced through. Maybe they’ll bring something good somehow, and maybe….maybe, I’ll make an effort to meet my neighbors…and I’ll look forward to seeing you again.
Thankful for you,
Mary Beth
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Every day they are better and better—-you are so good, love you/