I love the magnificent transformation of trees in autumn. The gold and red leaves are like a party dress for the last celebration of summer. All too soon the leaves fall, the branches are bare, and we enter the long dark winter. These last few golden days before winter are a treasure.
Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi contains the line, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” There are so many things in life that we take for granted until they are gone, no longer available to us.
The other day at breakfast, we were talking about what we are like when the lights go out and we no longer have access to electricity. Apparently Canadians use more electricity per capita than any other nation. We are so accustomed to having this easy energy source that when electricity is not available to us, we almost don’t know how to live our daily lives.
It’s ironic! Many people living today grew up in an era where there was no electricity available to them. I’m part of the baby boomer generation, but I remember when electricity came to the farm. It was a time of great celebration.
I recall a lengthy power outage on a warm June day a decade ago. People flocked to the cafeteria at the hospital, which had auxiliary power and were able to get their morning coffee. Only the Co-op service station on Marcus Road had a generator to run the gasoline pumps.There were lineups blocks long to buy gasoline. Many people needed to keep the car motor running in order to charge their mobile phone. How dependent we are on technology!
A saying older than Joni Mitchell is, “you don’t miss the water till the well runs dry.” There are so many things in life that we take for granted, including our loved ones. Sometimes it’s not until someone has died that you realize just how much they provided for you, how important they were in your life
Maybe it’s because the leaves are falling from the trees, and the sun is setting earlier that I am lethargic and morose. With the leads falling, I think of the people who have contributed so much to my life over the years: teachers, parents, clergy, my
Guide leader, my instructors at university, the people with whom I worked for decades at the Prince Albert Daily Herald. If I failed to thank them at the time, I hope they know how much I appreciated their support.
I also think of the classic song Autumn Leaves that contains the lyrics, “but I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves begin to fall.”
My daughter-in-law passed away recently after a valiant fight with cancer, for the third time. She is a true angel. I miss her dearly.
