Lessons in the Falling Leaves

I went for a walk in the woods today. It's sunny and warm, and the sky's the bright, clear blue you only see this time of year. The trees are all swaying and tossing in the wind, and the forest is full of sounds: twittering birds, the wind's steady song, and high above, the sweet, clear calls of geese. This morning I heard the fluting cries of the sandhill cranes, but soon, I know, they'll be on their way. The trees are at their brightest and most glorious, pouring their colors into the world as if they know this time is short. Everything is moving: every leaf is trembling, all the grasses bending in waves, birds hopping from branch to branch, squirrels running on the acorn-rich lawns, then dashing off to hide their treasure.

Autumn is a hurrying season, full of changes and scurryings and farewells. Summer lolls and sprawls, but in the fall every day is precious. Autumn slips away even as we watch, her glory changing day by day as the leaves lose their summer greens, blaze into orange and yellow and red, and then whirl away. All the woods and fields are busy, looking ahead to the winter cold.

Autumn is a teacher. Foolish human that I am, I forget so quickly, so every year I need to learn her lessons once again. As I watched the leaves whirling down today, I caught them one by one to share with you. Here they are:

Savor every day. Life is fleeting. See that maple tree, ablaze in red? Look, really look, at it today. Tonight a windstorm might bring every blazing leaf of that maple tree down. Savor the glories of today, for tomorrow they'll be gone.

Rejoice in giving. Be extravagant. Look how nature is: the pumpkins swell and grow on the vines, the branches bend low with apples, red and sweet. Look how the humble roadside weeds break open and send their seeds out over the meadows. Give yourself to life and send yourself out into the future. Life is still a blessing.

Be beautiful, be glorious, even. Shine for all the world to see. As you grow and age, embrace your new beauty. Look how the trees, pulling in, shutting down for the winter, reveal new glory. All their orange and yellow and red, hidden by the green of the youthful year, are revealed as the seasons turn. Maybe old age can be our most brilliant time.

Let go. Unclench your hands. Let go of the warm days, turn away with a sigh and set your face to the future. As time rushes by, don't try to grasp it tight. Let it go. Look again at the trees! They know when to let their glory tumble to the ground. They don't try to keep their color - instead, they set them dancing on the wind, to settle and warm the ground for the creatures in the winter cold. Give your glory away. Their bare winter branches are just as beautiful. So are you.

Be prepared. Get ready for hard times to come. Look how the squirrels are gathering their food and making their homes warm and snug. They line their nests with leaves and stuff acorns and seeds in every crack in the walls. Think ahead, prepare yourself, and then, when the winter winds come, you can settle in and wait for spring.

Stick together. Don't travel alone. The birds who take the long journey gather and chatter and flutter and build their enthusiasm. They float on the water or twitter in the trees until the moment when they finally rise in a chorus of joyous calls to set out on their way. Travel together, calling to each other in encouragement. Go a little at a time; set your pace; follow the way your ancestors have gone for a thousand years. Dream of a warm place and find it.

Most of all, be grateful. Life isn't safe or predictable or easy. We can't say what the world will be like in a year, or even if we'll be alive to see it. But we're here, today, watching the branches toss and the leaves whirl, with eyes to see and a heart to care, and that, I think, is the greatest blessing of all.

All around me nature is showing me the wisdom of her ways. I'll gather them up like the bright leaves I bring home on my walks, to tuck away and think about in the days to come. All too soon winter will be here, and the cold and snow will bring me new lessons to learn. I'm ready.