Falling Leaves

 I only have one tree in my yard but somehow my yard has more leaves than the rest of the block. I had been asked if this bothers me. It doesn't and this is why.

I sent a couple of young adults out to rake the leaves that had fallen from the trees.

When the pile in the back was about 4 feet tall I heard the young lady give out a yelp and the young man laugh. I looked out my window in time to see him toss her small frame into the pile and throw a handful of gold and  brown in her hair. I watched as they playfully enjoyed the leaves like small children. 

When the pile reached 5 and a half feet tall two teenage boys (13) asked if they could jump in the pile. I gladly said yes. I watched as they took turns diving in from the top of the stump. They yelled and laughed so hard! They would take turns making the pile tall again and jumping in.

( for some reason that song from Steven Curtis Chapman kept running through my head) 

"♫♪’m diving in, I’m going deep in over
my head, I want to be
Cought in the rush, lost in the flow,
in over my head, I want to go♫♪"

I really wanted to go and jump in too!  I was remembering the year before when I did dive in with the neighborhood children. I remembered once when my two oldest were small and we played in the leaves an entire afternoon! I remembered the youngest ones picking leaves out of their scarves. I remembered gallons of hot chocolate being poured and trays of cookies being eaten,still outside in the cold and darkness, not wanting the fun to end.

Oh, How Blessed I am, to be the yard that gets all the leaves!