Fall - Already!

I glanced out the window as a gust of wind dislodged a handful of leaves and sent them skittering to the ground. "How odd!" I thought. It is August. This is no time for autumn leaves to start falling. The wind blew harder and sent another handful of yellow and brown leaves fluttering down.

I glanced at the trees surrounding our building, but could see no color on the trees. Only a delicious and promising green everywhere. Perhaps it is just a fluke. But later when I took Sugar for a walk, I discovered to my dismay that around the corner, the small tree Sugar likes so much was entirely yellow near the trunk with a plethora of dead leaves scattered about the roots like so many scraps of paper littering the grass.

Fall. It is inevitable. While I love the reds and oranges of fall, and the start of school and apple season, I do not wish to say farewell to summer. I have worked so hard to endure the chemo, and appreciated the cool summer we were blessed with, but I missed all of the summer activities I so wanted to do.

No weekend camping trips to state parks like Letchworth. No picnics of hot dogs and hamburgs. No swimming in the complex pool. No walks in the Rochester parks. No farmer's market trips. No Concordia classes and meeting friends. No campfires and s'mores and giggling with the boys as we make our way somewhere in the dark with just a little flashlight.

Ah, me. Even had summer lingered, I would not be able to "do" summer this year. But its OK. There will be other years, other good times. Because I sacrificed this summer so I could have future ones.

So come ahead, Fall. I will miss most of you too this year. By the time my treatment is complete and I am able to get my feet back down, it will be late November, maybe even December. I will watch your leaves flutter past my window and be glad to see them. For I know that by the grace of God, there will be other years to immerse myself in all that each season offers. And I am content to remember past seasons with joy.