falling leaves

I am standing in woodland, next to a small river – the North Teign, in Devon. It is a still autumn day, and sunshine is filtering through, onto the rusty coloured leaves on the forest floor. And every now and again, even though the air is still, another leaf will fall, and gently dance its way to the ground to find a resting place.

But today, as I see these leaves falling, for some reason they remind me of tears: tears of both sadness and joy, mixed together – sadness at the unnecessary suffering in the world, and a deep, still, joy at life, with its ups and downs, its unexpected turns, and its beauty.

And watching these leaves, these tears falling from the trees, I feel at peace in the world, I feel at rest in my being. I feel at home, a part of this beautiful world, a part of this wood. I feel at one with these trees, and their timeless cycle of tears and growth. For, in a few months' time, when the trees have shed all their tears, spring will come, and they will once again flourish. with fresh leaves, ready for a new year.