Day 332 Circles

November 6, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

A year ago today was my father’s 93^rd birthday. One or two months before that, I remember a conversation we had. He had been pensive as we sat in silence. “How long do I have?” I knew what he meant and of course I did not know the answer, but I responded with what I felt. “I don’t know, Dad. I think you will make it to 93 but I can’t promise you Christmas. Let’s appreciate each day as much as we can right now.” I followed this with a hug and went on to tell him about all the people in his family who exist because of him. “We all love you,” I reassured him. 

I was right in my predictions. He met his 93^rd birthday with diminishing strength but did not make it to Christmas. Our whole family deeply felt his absence on Christmas day last year. He had been the center  of our family circle.

This morning I looked outside my window and saw that our Japanese red maple had succumbed to the season. A brilliant array of red leaves encircled its trunk. Even though the weather is still mild, I know that winter is coming. But I also know that small red maple sapplings will sprout next spring.

My maple sheds crimson,
ablaze on the crinkled ground.
Silently, I give thanks to the phoenix
for this blatant blanket
as we wait for winter.
     ~ Bonnie Schupp

My gift today is a vibrant circle.

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See previous post on this tree, When Will Bob Be Naked?
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2015/11/day-327-when-will-bob-be-naked.html

> Day 333: Seeing

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Day 327 When Will Bob Be Naked?

November 1, 2015 

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.) 

When he was a reporter, David used to cover the circus. One day he received a call from a Robert Weigel, a circus lover who read and appreciated his stories. He wanted to show David circus models he had built. David went and admired his models and came back with a small Japanese red maple, one of many that Robert had on his property. That tree was named Bob and is thriving in our front yard.  Although Bob is a male name, he leaves some new saplings here and there too.

This tree brings us pleasure, especially this time of the year. Its leaves turn a vibrant red, a last hurrah before these leaves release their hold on a windy day. Every time we leave our house or return, Bob is there. When I turn my head to the right as I sit here at my computer, Bob is there. When I am having a bad day in the fall, I look out my window and absorb the wonder that I see. 

Every year, David and I speculate when the leaves will drop. If the wind is strong, red will spread throughout our front yard. However, if the wind is just the right kind of gentle, it will nudge the leaves so that, instead of taking flight, they drop quietly and, like an offering, create a brilliant red circle around the tree’s trunk. It is our autumn altar of praise. Bob continues to hold tightly to his leaves for now, but I never know when I will wake up and he will be naked. 

My gift today is brilliant red.  

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 > Day 328 Six Thousand More Pages

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html