Nature's Force

After visiting my parents this weekend in Tennessee, I decided to follow my aunt and mother to the Harrah's Casino in Cherokee, North Carolina, where I didn't do too shabby this time. But that's not why I'm writing this. I'm writing this because the drive from Gatlinburg to Cherokee takes you over and through the Smokey Mountains and the National Park. Lot's of thinking time to be had. And this, is what I thought:

Even though it's not fall yet, the temperature in the air was perfect for it. The only thing missing was the leaves showing their true colors. For the longest time, I didn't know that the "green" color we see is a mask of the true color underneath and that once a year we get the "real deal", the, "I'm BRILLIANT for the all the world to see" colors. Autumn is my favorite season. It was my grandmothers' favorite season as well.

While driving through the mountains, and I strongly suggest it once in your lifetime, there are several places to stop and get out of your car to look over the vast valley's and peaks. It's stunning and even more so when the colors are in bloom, so to speak. So I decided to stop for a bit, get out and lok around. That's when it happened.

It didn't take very long, maybe 10 minutes and the tears flowed and it all became complete for me. There would be no more trips to New England for leaf turning season, no more trips to Fort Ticonderoga, no more picking apples right from the tree and basically no more of these "brillant" things that I was able to do with my grandmother.

You see, my grandmother died almost 3 years ago as of October 12, when, in New England and New York, this is peak season for the leaves to turn and the air is cool upon your skin and the smells of Fall are in the air. I however, never had the chance to properly mourn this and I know it sounds silly but I think now, I feel like we both got gypped. She from Alzheimers, a woman who would, in her youth, take the train to NYC to get her nails and hair done and I because well, she was my last grandparent, I was her favorite and there were many more years left to be had together.

Autumn was our favorite season because it was simply Brilliant.