Beauty Along the Path

The air is cool now. The nights turn rooftops white, the leaves turn the ground shades of red and yellow. The flowers have come and gone, the geese have returned from the north. But I can't get the images of summer out of my mind. Maybe because there were moments, like the ones in these images, that are burned into my mind because of their beauty.

The path by our house was breathtaking this summer, especially at sunset. One very warm evening in July, Jonathan and I took a walk right at sunset to take in all of nature's glory.

Along the way, what struck me most was the beautiful light on my precious boy's silly face. He couldn't stop laughing, playing games with me, and in general being completely happy. Maybe it was the feeling of the warm air on his face. Maybe it was the scent of the fresh and growing grass filling the air. Maybe it was the beauty of the meadows in full bloom surrounding us. Whatever "it" was, it made him shine.

He ran as all boys should on summer evenings . . . with full abandon . . . in his fire fighter rain boots. :) He ran and ran and ran, stopping only to smell the flowers and play with the ladybugs (and once because one of his boots fell off). What was he running to? His favorite stop along the path . . .

But tonight, instead of spying the ducks in the creek or the grass in the meadows, he was on the lookout for the first star in the summer night sky. He looked and looked and looked, until at last he was thrilled to find the brightest light in the sky. The moon. He loves the moon and seems to have always loved it. It wasn't until much later that he spotted that first star, but he didn't mind. The moonlight filled him up.

The colors of summer surrounded us, while we listened to evening set in, to the frogs sing their song, felt the night chill roll in, and saw the sunlight leave the sky. We drank in all that summer was pouring out, and it filled us with joy.

And now that the flowers are gone, the frogs are silent, the grasses have changed to a sea of gold, and the leaves have mostly fallen from the trees, our path walks have changed. They are cold, brisk, wet, breezy, gray. We see our breath, we hear the geese, we smell the rain. Nonetheless, we now drink in all that autumn offers us. What do we bask in now? The dramatic and very big sky above.

And still . . . still . . . our boy runs, with full and wild abandon, toward the beauty that is now. How I love these moments.

Today I am thankful for a little boy who gives us eyes to see the wonder in and beauty of now.