What Are They?

They swirl, spinning through the air gathering momentum with each gust of wind.. When they hit a barrier they separate and fall to the ground. I enjoy watching them. They remind me of a rainbow.

The wind is at once their friend and their enemy. They feel powerful together. It is the wind which lifts them up, giving them unity and formation but when the wind slows down they come apart and may find themselves far from home. Eventually, all come to earth, either naturally or with a little help from the wind or rain or tiny critters who share their space.

During their younger days when life was new and they were strong it seemed as if they would never find a way to leave home. They had a job to do but probably would like some freedom. Don't we all enjoy our times of freedom? As the days become longer and the wind becomes brisk and cooler they just know their time here is almost over, that the job they came for is done.

In reality, their job is not done when they fall to earth. Their contact with the earth provides nourishment to the soil around them, to bushes, to farmer's fields, to gardens. Some might land in water and float downstream to a river, a lake or even an ocean to become a part of a vast watery world which provide nourishment to creatures of the sea.

You see, leaves are short-lived. They provide us with shade and oxygen during their time here and are rewarded by changing into the beautiful colors of autumn. Through leaves nature provides us the most glorious art show you'll ever see. So when you look at the autumn leaves be thankful for all that they have given us over the year and if you are caught on a windy day surrounded by swirling leaves, just enjoy the experience for soon all the leaves will fall and snow will cover the ground.