The Trees Are Beautiful This Time Of Year

         ​I’m sitting in my shed looking out the window at the beautiful leaves fluttering in the breeze.  The crabapple trees have the most amazing flowers in the Spring and provide a comfortable covering of shade for the deck in the summer.  Now, in the Fall of the year, the leaves are a mixture of orange, red, yellow and green.  The branches bounce and the leaves turn in different directions – on occasion, a single leaf gently falls to the ground…  I return to writing on the computer but the motion of the leaves catches my eye and I stare out the window once again.  
            The trees are beautiful this time of year and I am always amazed at the colorful show they produce just before settling in for the long winter rest.  I had to go to Omaha this past weekend and the drive reminded me of the times Randy and I drove to Omaha in the Fall of 2004 and 2005.  The trees were as beautiful back then as they were this past weekend.
            In the Fall of 2004, we were driving into Omaha for his Doctor appointments.  We marveled at the colors and how distinctly different they were.  From deep maroon to the brightest of yellows.  The variations of reds and oranges mixed in with the lime green would look tacky had I tried to replicate the scene in a painting.  In nature, it was perfect.  The blue of the sky seemed even more dramatic when compared to the colors in the fields and the layers of trees lining the hills.  
            I drove but we both took in the beauty of the countryside.   We both appreciated the accommodating Fall weather and felt fortunate to share that time together.  
            Randy did well that first year after surgery and with the chemo treatments but in September of 2005, the brain tumor began to grow.  He decided to try radiation and another chemo treatment.  This meant more trips into Omaha.  The Fall weather was beautiful once again.  Randy thanked God for the beauty that surrounded us each day as we made our trip.  The trees greeted us with their magnificent color display and we noted the subtle changes from week to week.  As the leaves began to fall, Randy began to weaken.
            The crops had been removed from the fields.  The leaves had fallen from the trees.  We got the news that the chemo was not working.  As we drove home, Randy once again marveled at the beauty of countryside.  The colors were muted but beautiful just the same.  
            So, at this time of year, I love the colors and I remember my sweet Randy and those special times we had traveling in the Fall.  Just him and me, alone in the car.    Enjoying the ride, experiencing the beauty in nature and helping each other travel the distance to the inevitable winter rest.  

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Note:  I needed a good cry.  I buried a good friend last week and I haven’t been able to write that story but hopefully one day I will be able to write about her.   So, I think I had to write about Randy and how Fall reminds me of our time together – and have that good cry.  Fall makes me more than a little nostalgic for that guy.  I miss him every day but at this time of year I miss his goofiness more than ever.  Randy loved Halloween.  He loved to dress up.  He was so happy when Ramie was born because he had an excuse to go trick or treating for years to come.   I know he is happy that Ramie continues the tradition with her daughter. ​

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