Taking a Walk

I was walking this morning and appreciating the color in some of the trees. Yellow and red stood out against the blue sky. In Michigan, the blue sky usually disappears by 11 am, but today it blessed us with its presence. I thought how beautiful the trees were, and how it is strange that they are at their most beautiful just before they die. So vibrant, so full of energy. They reminded me of the sometimes lucid and alert period that a person often goes through just before they die. And how that few minutes is often such a gift to the family, because that's what they remember. So, as we enter the winter season, one I dread because the trees have shed their leaves and look like skeletons, and because the sky is gray all the time, I will remember this walk and the beauty of the color and hold it with me through the long months.