October means leaf-peeping in New England. It was a clear-blue, sunny Saturday and my wife and I decided to take a drive and enjoy the foliage.<\/p>\n
As we followed the winding roads through the sun-dappled countryside, we zipped by\u00a0 a\u00a0 beautiful old saltbox-style house that caught out attention.\u00a0 Behind an old stone wall, the salt-box sat on a green lawn strewn with bright autumn leaves. Smoke curled from the chimney. The home looked like it was recently renovated and the homeowners had done\u00a0 a fantastic job.\u00a0 The thought of the renovation brought to mind all the carpenters and craftspeople who worked on the home and how proud they must be of their work.<\/p>\n
My stream of consciousness then took me to the next thought: Old school, carpenter work boots with the thick, white soft tread.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I had been coveting a pair of those boots since childhood but reluctant to spend the money- especially since I’m not a carpenter.<\/p>\n
And that made me think of my dearly departed older sister who I looked up to as a kid for all things cool. Back in the day, my sister always referred to those boots as “shit-kickers.”<\/p>\n
And that made me think of my father. Sitting alone at the bedside of that very same sister. She was in a coma and dying from an aneurysm. It was hard to believe it has been ten years.\u00a0\u00a0 Family had come to the hospital to support us. I was quietly talking with my cousins when I saw my father sitting at my sister’s bed side. He was sitting in a chair with his back to us. His feet together. His hands on his lap. He might have been praying. He might have been thinking of a life of trials and struggle. And now the death of his dear child. His daughter.<\/p>\n
I thought of all of that in an instant before I refocused on driving.<\/p>\n
Then we zipped by the red salt-box house, on that beautiful day,\u00a0 me with my wonderful wife, and the autumn leaves falling and swirling behind our passing car.<\/p>\n
copyright 2019 Christopher Donahue<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" October means leaf-peeping in New England. It was a clear-blue, sunny Saturday and my wife and I decided to take a drive and enjoy the foliage. As we followed the winding roads through the sun-dappled countryside, we zipped by\u00a0 a\u00a0 … Continue reading