The Leaves are Falling

Do you see it? I made sure that you couldn't miss it.


Change is coming. I can smell it in the leaves. I can hear it rustle as the trees drop their dead weight to the ground. I can feel it through my occasional donned long sleeve shirt. My body senses the light of day shortening as it longs to stay in bed a few more minutes.


My children welcome the change. Mr. Smackdown doesn't want the Hottie Hubbie to mow, for fear of crushing the change. For fear of ruining the change. He wants to run through the leaves with childhood abandon. He wants to savor the moment. He wants to take every moment of life in. He wants to live. He does live passionately.


As Mr. Smackdown and Mr. Me-Too were ferried around this weekend, they were silent before creation. Awed by turtles, canoe rides, and time with Daddy and Papa.


As I waited with Willow (my camera) for the boat ride to come to completion, I voiced my concern to God about the change in the air. I am not excited about the shorter days. I am not excited to be inside. I am restless like the leaves that fight to travel the farthest, angered by the fence that blocks them in.


And in a quiet, but rather firm voice. I heard God say, "Shut it." Live passionately in the loud moments, in the still moments, in the crazy moments, in any moment. Live fully in every moment.

This won't be the last you hear me speak of this . . . .

Restlessness . . .

Change . . . .

Desire to edit my story . . . .

Breathe

16th of June, nine-oh-five, door bell rings
Man at the door says if I want to stay alive a bit longer
There's a few things I need you to know
Three

Coming from a long line of
Traveling sales people on my mother's side
I wasn't gonna buy just anyone's cockatoo
So why would I invite a complete stranger into my home
Would you

These days are better than that
These days are better than that

Every day I die again, and again I'm reborn
Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can't defeat
Neither down nor out
There's nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now

16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up
And I'm coming down with some new Asian virus
Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man
Doc says you're fine, or dying
Please
Nine-oh-nine, St. John Divine on the line, my pulse is fine
But I'm running down the road like loose electricity
While the band in my head plays a striptease

The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it

Walk out into the street
Sing your heart out
The people we meet
Will not be drowned out
There's nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now
Yeah, yeah

We are people borne of sound
The songs are in our eyes
Gonna wear them like a crown

Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I've found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it's all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now
--U2