CHAPTER 2 : Leaves

Sent: 11/2/2001 11:55 AM

Have you looked at the trees lately? Have you noticed the colors?

The bus ride to work has been filled with passengers staring at their newspapers and the horror in the world. Very few take a look out the window over the river as we cross the Triborough Bridge. It's a tough time. Friends of mine don't have jobs nor do they have prospects. Anthrax has hit New York; New Yorkers walk around with gloves on their hands, masks over their mouths and noses. My west coast buddies are worrying about threats on their bridges. Our campus security is getting tighter and tighter. They closed the library this morning.

Lately, it's been easy to overlook the autumn leaves. It's easy to forget to pay attention to the trees, on fire, with red, orange and gold. For them, life is going on as normal. For us, life seems to have changed. But as an acorn whacked me on the top of my head this morning, I realized that nothing about everyday life has really changed (aside from necessary inconveniences). What HAS changed is my heart, and, honestly, the fall season has never looked better. Thanks God.