Her First Autumn Leaf

It was crisp and clear the day after the rains.  Golden leaves of the Sycamores rustled in front of  blue sky, the sun glinting through them.  Everywhere around me sandy soil was soaking in rain.  I set out for a walk up the street with my old dog.  A neighbor friend was walking too, pushing her 5 mo old baby girl in a baby carriage.  So, we walked together.

Passing under the Cottonwoods, I realized Baby had a great view of the sky and the tops of the tall trees from where she sat.  Yesterday's winds had blown down a lot of yellow leaves and left them piled on the roadside.  I picked one up and held it out to her.  She took it from me with her tiny pink fingers and thanked me with a warm smile.  Her mother was afraid she would put it in her mouth.  I had a feeling that she would not.  No, she held it while we walked, her other hand feeling its texture.  It was like no texture she had ever felt.  Similar to the pages of a book?  Perhaps.  But this was a new touch sensation.  This was Baby's First Autumn, and I felt a sense of joy at the thought that I had given her her First Autumn Leaf.. a gift of Nature.