It shouldn't come as a huge surprise - that the leaves fall.....that the tree's branches are rendered leaf-less and bare.
I've been here before. I've done this.
More times than I'd care to actually share.

But - this particular year - it's different. It's new. It's as if this is the first time I've seen this.

Still - I find myself navigating and negotiating.
A new way of being. A new way of experiencing. A new way of feeling my way.

I continue to look for that connection...that phone call...that something that might remind me. I'm wanting to believe that I might hear her voice just once and again.

There's nothing but silence.

I look to those trees.

They bend and sway with the tides and the seasons.
They remain strong and tall and rooted. They trust in the seasons.
They know that they'll bloom and blossom once and again.

They've been here before. They've done this.

I bow to their inner strength...their wisdom..their patience..their guidance.
This particular year - I'll learn from them.