Pulling into the driveway which separates my front yard from the side yard, I reluctantly looked to the the left and then to the tight. There they were, again ,with twice as many waiting for me in the backyard. The brown crispy leaves were layered on the ground as high as the snow after a winter's blizzard. They almost seemed to be laughing at me, waiting to be gathered up while ruining my weekend.

Oh! How I hated those leaves..


Suddenly, I remembered that just a few weeks back, as Vivian and I were driving home, we caught a glimpse of our home from the main road. There she was, set back from the side road nuzzled deep within the rainbowed colored trees that surrounded her. The bright colored reddish orange leaves perfectly blending with the light browns and deep yellows . A baby sleeping in her mother's arms couldn't look more content. Our house looked like a picture on an Autumn calender. How fortunate we were.

Oh! How I loved those leaves.


These were the same leaves that in the torturous heat of the summer gave me shade and protection from the fiery rays of the sun as I sat on the bench swing and read a book or watched the grandchildren playing in the pool. These same leaves were home to the variety of birds which became our singing neighbors in both spring and summer.

Oh! How thankful I was for those leaves.


And now, I thought, just because these same leaves have become old and will cause me what really is a small inconvenience, I complain and want nothing to do with them.

I can only hope I do not treat people like this.

Just a “Thought by the C.”


Come join our Newsletter, "Thought's by the C." at:http://eepurl.com/iLJI   

Over my years of teaching, I have taken the opportunity to share some thoughts with my students, "Life Lesson Day." They loved it. Not the lessons, of course, but the fact that we put English and history on hold.

I have been teaching a for 25 years at a High School.  My two main interests are English and history.
My sons, Jim and Carl are both married, and I have 2 grandchildren, Kaitlyn 11, and Timothy 4.
Vivian and I were high school "sweethearts" and have been married 43 years Jan. 1st. What a way to begin each year.

It is my desire to share the messages that I find in my everyday events. When I began, this really took practice. I would "force" myself to focus. Now it comes naturally and I look foorward to each day.