I have been accused of being too sentimental. I take it as a compliment. What is sentiment? Views based on emotion are sentiments. I think balance in all things is important but in balancing our thoughts regarding nature, we should not be dismissive of any single element – especially not sentiment. The sum of our entire being would be sorely lacking. Our ability to understand the cycle of life – even the life of a leaf – would be incomplete.
To illustrate, now enter the leaf. We see them by the thousands every year in Minnesota. Deciduous trees bud out in fresh new ‘leaflets’ in the Spring and as Summer offers it’s warmth, those little leaf buds explode into full-fledged leaves. Tender leaves. Very delicate. Like the shorn lamb, they must condition themselves to the elements in their new form. So begins the life of a leaf.
Summer presents many challenges such as extreme heat, buffeting winds, hail. The leaf must attempt to prevail. Some do not. Fallen early, life too short. It happens. When it happens to our friends and family, we mourn. I do not mourn a leaf that has dropped early, but the leaf reminds me of life’s brevity.
Summer turns towards Fall and the leaves have matured. Life has made them more durable. They are not affected as significantly by the elements – but something is changing within. A new season has approached and it will not yield for the leaf.
Fall changes everything
Color. New and brilliant colors become our canopy. The leaves, in chorus, present themselves in an explosive array of red, orange, yellow and tan hues. Another form of sunset on life. I savor the color. I find beauty in this time and in these moments.
Something significant begins to happen in Fall. The leaves start to drop, and drop, and drop! Leaves that road the winds towering overhead, providing shade and shelter are now fallen leaves. Their canopy has now taken residence on the earth.
It is at this time of the year I become more sentimental. I see what is happening to the leaves as I’m similarly aware of what is happening within myself. Another year passing. Savor the Fall for it is the finest of seasons. As part of my Fall ritual, I watch leaves drop. I will focus on individual leaves as they make their descent. They settle to the ground and I walk over to them. Likely never touched by a human, I now cradle this leaf in my hands. I study it. It is beautiful. The structure, the design. So intricate. So delicate. It could be crushed to a powder at this stage but I place it back to the ground to finalize it’s life cycle. It will become nutrients, to enrich the tree, to grow more leaves.
I encourage you to reflect on the life cycle of the leaf. It is a cycle we have privilege to witness as we tally the summers of our own lives. Seasons of the leaf extend into seasons of life. Savor each day as we each live out our seasons.
