Settling Leaves

Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.

Delia Owens

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Hello Friend,

I hope you will have a cup of tea or coffee with me today, from wherever you are. My own coffee sits beside me in a cup unfamiliar to me, among brightly coloured plastic children’s cups and blueberry muffin crumbs still on the table from breakfast.

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I write this from Sweetie’s home in Manitoba, two provinces away from my own. Sweetie and her hubby are off on a business vacation and The Cowboy and I have taken charge of the three grandboys. I’m sitting at the dining table which, as has been all the rage in recent years, is high, and requires tall chairs on which to sit. Because I need to have my feet flat on the floor, I’ve pulled up chairs on either side of me so I can rest my feet on their rungs. It works, but I’ll take a regular table any day, where my chair allows me to keep my feet grounded.

From my vantage point I can look out through glass patio doors into the large yard where leaves carpet the ground in bronze and buff and camel. Just two days ago those leaves were still clothing the trees in golden glory. And, if the weather app is right, we will have snow in the next day or two.

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Fallen leaves on the ground are the golden song of immortal creativity.

Amit Ray

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When we left home, almost all of the leaves from our trees had floated to the lawn, which was still as green as summer. Now, however, reports and pictures of snow have reached me. So, I’ll enjoy these last snowless days, here where I am, while I can.

And so it goes. Fallen leaves become blanketed in white snow until it warms into rivulets and streams, greening the earth to bloom and blossom into life and colour, until it’s time for the leaves to fall again.

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How the Leaves Came Down
by Susan Coolidge

"I'll tell you how the leaves came down,"
The great Tree to his children said:
"You're getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,
Yes, very sleepy, little Red.
It is quite time to go to bed."

"Ah!" begged each silly, pouting leaf,
"Let us a little longer stay
Dear Father Tree, behold our grief!
'Tis such a very pleasant day
We do not want to go away."

So, for just one more merry day
To the great Tree the leaflets clung,
Frolicked and danced, and had their way,
Upon the autumn breezes swung,
Whispering all their sports among--

"Perhaps the great Tree will forget,
And let us stay until the spring,
If we all beg, and coax, and fret."
But the great Tree did no such thing;
He smiled to hear their whispering.

"Come, children, all to bed," he cried;
And ere the leaves could urge their prayer,
He shook his head, and far and wide,
Fluttering and rustling everywhere,
Down sped the leaflets through the air.

I saw them; on the ground they lay,
Golden and red, a huddled swarm,
Waiting till one from far away,
White bedclothes heaped upon her arm,
Should come to wrap them safe and warm.

The great bare Tree looked down and smiled.
"Good-night, dear little leaves," he said;
And from below each sleepy child
Replied, "Good-night," and murmured,
"It is so nice to go to bed!" 

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In this tumultuous, chaotic world of ours, it is grounding to know we can rely on the seasons to come and go as they always have. The sun will set, the sun will rise. Another day dawns.

If you find yourself lost and tumbling with each new horrific story in the news, look for someone who is grounded. It’s easy to spot them. They’re well-balanced, sensible, and reasonable. Most of all, they understand the importance of the ordinary things in life. And, there are more of them around than you might think. Usually, they’re just going about their business quietly and confidently. They know life is hard, but God is good. That’s where the confidence comes from.

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Thanks for the visit today. It’s been lovely to share a cup with you, whether you’re sitting among blueberry muffin crumbs, or cozily settled in your favourite chair. By the time you read this, I will be back home looking out over our white-blanketed lawn to the snow-dusted bales in the field beyond. And so it goes.

Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Even a leaf in the wind settles sometimes.

Alison Goodman

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All images from Pixabay. Feature Image by Rebekka D from Pixabay Poem, How the Leaves Came Down, is in the public domain and can be found here.