“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” – John Donne
“Just look at that!” I say out loud as I point. But I am talking to no one because I am alone with my dog, Jaeger. So no one looks. Not even Jaeger.
If someone were to chance along the path Jaeger and I are traveling this morning, I would say, “It’s a woolly bear!” And both of us would smile, and my acquaintance would nod indulgently, and we would share a moment, then go our separate ways.
But since no one has chanced by, it’s up to me to honor this sign that fall is here. So I do what I must. With a generous bend in my knees, I reach down to pick up the small creature and gaze at it in wonder tinged with delight.
Years ago, a smooth chubby hand held a tiny woolly bear caterpillar cradling it with loving care. Now that same hand, wrinkled and slightly spotted, does the same. I look at my hand as it holds the small being aloft. This hand has done good work and will continue to do so. I bear it no ill will for its less-than-glamorous appearance.
I set the creature down on the side of the path, and we continue our stroll. I am staggered by the beauty of the day.
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne
The trail we are on is circular around a small pond in our backyard. We have been around this path many times, Jaeger and I, and have seen several autumns come and go.
This fall, however, is a special one for both of us. I at 61 years of age and Jaeger at nearly 10 are now in the autumn of our lives. We both have let misery enter our bones a time or two when illness struck. But we did not let it live there for long.
We have both been humbled, but following Jaeger’s example, I am learning to shake it off and move down the path as if I hadn’t a care in the world. There are too many joys to be had and too much happiness to experience to keep either of us down for long. Besides, don’t those past miseries make these current joys seem just a little sweeter? I believe that they do.
We will cherish this enchantment that is autumn for all we are worth. This beautiful fall day belongs to just Jaeger and me, somehow. We may be nothing special, a middle-aged lady and her canine companion enjoying their morning constitutional.
We are alone, but we are not lonely. She is the most attractive dog I have ever seen, and she looks at me with eyes that adore. These simple days are what Heaven is made of. Of this, I could not be more certain.
Originally published on Medium
by Christine June 
by Brittany Meng 
by Heather McGuire 
