The Gifts We’re Given

/ still a dreamer

As I sat in the corner of the couch next to the front window, journaling as I do each morning, Jazzy curled up next to me, I looked outside. It was breathtaking. The sun had barely risen and there was a low fog clinging to the ground.

If I were the kind of person to run outside at that hour in my bathrobe, I would have been everywhere, taking pictures of the neighborhood in that ethereal atmosphere. But I am not. I waited until I had showered, made coffee, fed Jazzy, and then I ran out. The sun was just clearing the mist, and casting shadows across a large pine and the leaves along the road’s edge.

At the end of the block, the mist was thinning on the river. This is a view of the Delaware that I never tire of, though I love it most in fall and winter. The white tree – perhaps a sycamore – always just pops in the landscape, like someone took a brush and painted it there.

I walked past this tree that seems aflame. The color is so all-consuming that I honestly can’t remember what it was before, if it was ever green. Even as I write this, I’m smiling, because some of my gardener and blogging friends probably know exactly what all these trees are. Me? I’m by and large a humble fan.

Before I came to this side of the state, I didn’t know what rural delivery was. Sure, you saw mailboxes like those above in movies, but my mail had never been delivered like that. It came in the mailboxes on our houses or in apartment vestibules, and we dropped our mail off in the big, blue mailbox on the corner, or at the post office. Here, I can put outgoing mail in my mailbox, pull up the little red flag, and the postal driver takes it away. I found this convenience magical.

My neighbor texted a photo to me on Halloween, showing me how an ancient tree that had been slowly dropping lower and lower over the nearby street had finally given up and broken. Local traffic could not pass, and this would undoubtedly be a problem for trick-or-treaters. Soon after, I heard the sound of chain saws. This morning I had the first moment to look at the tree, one I’d known and passed by for fifteen years. It was a sad sight, yet I couldn’t help but notice the bright yellow sprout, now visible behind the remains of the aged tree, as if carrying on the torch of the brilliance of life.

I am always awed by the beauty of this river, whether edged with crisping rust leaves, swollen and grey after a storm, or reflecting a bright blue sky on a sunny day. I am so grateful for the richness around me, even that which can be found on a short walk. The simplicity of our natural world is such a balm to all the worries and negativity of the world that might assault us if we’re not careful.

There is so much to be thankful for … in this brief moment of time in which a holiday reminds us to consider our many gifts, but also in every day. We only need to remember and look around us.

20 thoughts on “The Gifts We’re Given”

  2. Thanks for the photos and description Jeanne. This is my favorite time of year and I do miss going north to see better colors beyond the limited ones we get here in central Texas. My only complaint was the size, so I fixed that by a copy and post of the URL. Again Thanks~!

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  3. Perfect read as we flow into our holiday season. Thank you, Jeanne! What gorgeous photos you’ve shared. The Delaware is quite a strong character, isn’t she?! I agree that the natural world is a healer…I’m outdoors more and more these days, releasing the toxic noises and energy humans spew and refilling with the peace of the world. Such a blessing.

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  4. This blog confirms one does not need to go far to find beauty if one is simply willing to open their eyes and soul. I, too, am grateful for the beauty in my neck of the woods. Lovely thoughts, Jeanne. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  6. I agree, I love these images of your area, and how you write about them. We all have much to be thankful for. Take in the beauty and goodness wherever it can be found. It is often right in our own backyards.

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  7. I walked along with you, thanks to your photos and your prose. Yes, we’ve seen some downed trees and huge branches as well in our November wooded walks. I touch the bark and say a blessing. I know the roots of the many trees underneath are taking in nourishment from the downed trees, keeping them alive in that way amongst the buried activity underground. <3

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