Autumn Rings by Dale McMurray (beach read .TXT) 📕

The weather had turned cooler and the bright shades of the green leaves on the Life Oak had started to turn to the vibrant colors of Autumn. The warmth of summer was waning and soon it would be gone. This was our favorite time of year. Autumn seemed to energize us. Nothing could compare with the kaleidoscope of colors and changes as the Earth prepared for her season of sleep. So that she could start clean and fresh.

The sense of strength and wellbeing that emanated from every twist and crack of this inspiring Life Oak just took my breath away. I was always drawn to this place. And I knew when the right man came it would be right here. We courted here under the broad leaves of this Oak. This was the season he asked me to marry him. The tree seemed to be celebrating with us as the colors grew richer with each day. The air took on a new enthralling smell. The scent of the last flowers to bloom, ripening of the summer's bounties, and the merry sway of the branches as the warm winds rang among the newly colored leaves. Here we said our vows that next Autumn. Nothing can compare with the crunching of the fallen leaves beneath our feet. It is here we came every Autumn to celebrate. And here is where my love will rest for eternity .
The tree has an unusual feature. A root sticking out of the ground in the shape of a shelf then going back inside the ground. It seemed like the tree knew us and welcomed our Autumn visits. It was here we sat and watched the leaves dance. The colors were like prisms when the sun shone thru them. The reds, yellows, golds, browns, and greens shone so brightly as the sun highlighted each leaf. Much like a finely woven linen.
My love always brought peanuts with him. He loved to feed the squirrels, chipmunks, and other small creatures that were hungrily getting ready for their well deserved sleep. All eagerly awaited our visit. The amount of “Friends” grew to a very large crowd. So I pulled out the bag of peanuts and began to feed our “Family”. Some jumped up and looked around for him. Others seemed to know my sadness and made sure I knew they cared. With great happiness they came to partake in this yearly feast. Bold ones scrambled unto my lap and took the offered fruit from my hand. Shy ones chattered. The warm Autumn day was a healing experience as the unguarded creatures shared themselves with me. Soon tummies filled and secret stashes made they began to disappear.
Sitting down I remembered how we enjoyed the days warm or chilly. Sometimes we would hold hands and just walk around the Tree and talk of the life we wanted together. The season would spread out before us and we felt so rich. What colors and scents the Autumn dressed Earth showed us.
My love had shaped The fallen leaves into two intertwined rings. I took in the work he did to create this sign of love. The sun intensified the colors and it literally glowed. So each year we each made a half of the intertwined rings.
I sat on the root and the breeze warmed me as if he was holding me. So I took off the flannel shirt he wore and put against my face and took in his scent .
We had done this for sixteen Autumns. Come here and renewed our love as the Autumn season came to it's Zenith. Taking the shovel I had brought I dug a small hole, Taking the small urn out of the bag and placed it into the hole. Covering it back up I placed a stone with his initials carved on top. Finished, I sat down and watched the swirl of autumn colors as the leaves danced with the breeze. This warm breeze caressed me as if he was still here watching. With each touch the more wondrous this season became. It was the end of the bounties but it was also the beginning of the renewing of mother Earth. This was her last big display of her true beauty before she slept. All squeezed into a few short dazzling weeks.
Soon the sun reached it's high place and I started to gather the leaves that had fallen and began to create the intertwined rings that we had done as a yearly ritual. As my tears fell the warm breeze seemed to gently touch my cheeks as if my love was wiping them away. Finally finished I sat down and closed my eyes and began to remember the sweet things Autumn always gave us those sweet crisp Granny Smith apples that he loved. And the wondrous scent of Pumpkin Spice that I loved.
I must have dozed off for a bit but when I opened my eyes, two perfect multicolored leaves were on my lap like they had been placed there.We had always gathered a leaf apiece to bring home. There we would place it beneath the entry stone of the front door. There were sixteen sets there. And now this Autumn I will add the seventeenth set. The day was fading and I stood there watching this perfect Autumn day's sunset.
Each day is as different as the color of the leaves. The colors start shy and crescendo into a beautiful silent opera of the most heavenly colors that herald the next change in the world. No leaf is ever the same. They are colors mother earth wants to share with us. Saying it is not an ending but a new Begining
Autumn brought me my love and will always keep it alive. It is never an ending but a reminder of better things to come. A renewal and cleansing for those who look for it and believe .

Publication Date: 10-18-2012

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