The Trefoil Muse

There is a warm autumn breeze; I sit beneath the trees and watch as colored leaves fall earthward.

The trunk of the tree I am sitting under is strong; its roots are spread wide and deep.  Yet, the tree is flexible and is able to bend when times get turbulent. That is why this tree has survived its many years on earth.

The tree’s large branches reach heavenward.  Some of the branches are barren having lost their leaves. Still, other branches are alive with color. The leaves on those branches are preparing to make their descent but for the moment, they are full of life and enhance the world with their beauty.

I notice the leaves of this tree do not fight their ending – they have lived their life to the fullest – so, they simply let go and float gently earthward as if they are two stepping in time to a slow waltz. They dance, twirl and float earthward where they join other leaves, those that fell before them.  The fallen leaves cushion the new arrivals.  Their landing is soft, gentle. Each leaf is reunited happily with those that fell before them – these are their fallen family and friends.

Those leaves that remain high in the branches shiver with excitement and celebrate the life of the leaves that fell before them.  They whisper to the fallen in the soft breeze, “We are in death, even as we live.”

Realization dawns on me, I am sitting beneath the family tree. The tree has been softening my sadness – my grief.  It has not only been comforting me with beauty and dance but sharing ancestral wisdom as it welcomes another extremely important leaf home. 

Celebrate life with every breath you take,

We both live and die in every moment,

Life is colorful,

Enjoy it,

Take comfort in the dance of the falling leaves,

Remember those who went before you,

They are never truly gone,

The circle of life is never-ending.

Gone but not forgotten…

“Falling Leaves,” is in memory of my Dad: 

Franklin J. Andrus – May 28, 1938 – October 10, 2022

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse