Autumn Quilt

Autumn Quilt
Simsbury, CT

They say opposites attract. That must be the case between autumn and winter. Autumn blankets us with warm colors before the chill of winter. My entire life I've welcomed the colors of my New England autumn memories.

There was a certainty in the heralding of the annual color pageant that winter would soon follow. As a child, underneath the umbrellas of the red and orange maple trees I took comfort knowing that this was for me. Soon the trees would be barren and Thanksgiving would draw me closer to winter's doorstep.

That change in season would be marked by the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog. From Thanksgiving on, I would mark each day by the toys I dreamed about within those pages. The passing of the colors was assuaged by the turning of catalog leaves. Both provided this child comfort and hope.

Today, I truly appreciate the gift of the natural quilt and the warmth it gave me. The falling leaves still remain in my dreams. The onset of autumn still reminds me of simple memories but awesome treasures.

This morning I sit before a lit fireplace and warmth fills me not only from the fires heat but from the glowing memory embers of my childhood autumn.