A Leaf Pile

Rushing out during lunch today to pick up a grocery order, I was driving along, Christmas music playing softly, enjoying the brightly colored trees when I noticed a lady standing in the middle of her front yard. The lawn was covered in leaves and she stood there, still as a statue with her head bowed down, the wind blowing her hair. Seeing her stand there, I slowed down a bit. She looked so lost and forlorn. I wondered what she was thinking as she stood there alone. Had she lost a loved one, maybe missing her kids who were now grown and moved from home. Was she thinking of the coming holidays, and reminiscing of happy holidays past. All these thoughts swirled in my head as I drove by. I offered up a prayer that whatever had her looking so sad, she would find some solace. 

Driving back home, I looked for her, but she wasn’t there. Where she previously stood was a little pile of leaves. It looked so out of place since the rest of the yard was still blanketed in leaves, but in the middle a little mound neatly piled up. What was on her mind as she made that tiny pile? Was she remembering her childhood jumping in leaves, or perhaps thinking of her own kids laughing as they jumped in piles she herself had raked. Who knows what she was thinking but I hope making that tiny pile of leaves brought her happiness and some comfort. 

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