...the best is yet to come...

...this was a glorious, spectacularly sunny,
late autumn day in No Cal...
the previous days' winter storm with it's darkness,
driving rain and high winds ...gone...
gone, like many of the leaves which now litter the ground,
instead of "hanging on" to the Sycamore trees for dear life,
as they were doing, just a couple of days ago...
If you look to the mountains,
the massive gathering of clouds tells you
that snow is still falling there,
but here...the storm has passed...

The rain pelted away the grime
of the long dry summer and early fall,
leaving behind a shiny, newly polished world
with bright blue skies...
the angle of the late autumn sunlight
making all things glow...
Blustery winds that ebb and flow,
chase fallen leaves to the curb and across the street,
bringing forth a symphony of wind chimes
from back yard and front porch,
only occasionally interrupted by the honking
of the late migrating geese,
who feel they have, perhaps, lingered here too long
and now continue on their way...

As I ran errands, being out & about,
in the invigorating, gleaming day,
but stuck inside my car, the grocery store,
the chiropractors' office,the cleaners...
I looked ahead to the walk I would enjoy through my neighborhood,
which is well-established
and has many cool older bungalows and houses to delight my eye,
as well as the Japanese maples,
Chinese pistaschios and liquid amber trees
who, even after the storm, retain their crown of glory...
the deep reds, yellow-oranges, coppery reds, burnished yellows...
are all the more stunning,
for the thorough cleaning that the storm provided...

But my plans were hijacked, along the way...
and the planned, afternoon walk was delayed
and finally, not to be...
As I watched the red streaks leave the sky
and the darkness wrap itself around my backyard...
I hurried to finish my tasks,
determined to catch some glimmer of the day
that had been so perfect...

I finally stepped out into the deepening gloom,
pulled the collar of my jacket around my neck,
against the now, cold wind...
and I started my walk...
Down a darkening street, the headlights of commuters,
hurrying home, in the distance...
The trees and sky, once radiant,
now dull and thickening with the night...
No stars yet, but street lamps are on...
the old fashioned kind that look like something out of England...
I spy a cat across the quiet street,
making its' rounds before dinner...
but not much else...and then, I see it...
as I come around one of the quaint curves, there it is...
illuminated by the street lamp it towers over,
a liquid amber tree,
an intense golden-orange, with some red...
it is in what would be,
the shadow of a much larger tree, during the daylight,
and even though it would have been colorful and pretty then,
now, in the spotlight of the street lamp,
surrounded by gathering darkness,
it is breath-taking !

I realized that I had been standing there,
transfixed by the beauty of this sight...
I blinked my eyes and continued on...
as I rounded the final corner and head back
down my street towards my house,
it is now fully dark...
Christmas lights twinkle, headlights flash in the distance,
lights in houses, beckon...
calling me inside, out of the cold chill,
to evenings' pleasures and it's chores
and to ponder the greatness of a creator
who gifted me all day with such beauty,
only to crown it with a surprise I could never have expected...

After I had given up the idea, of walking in the splendor,
but went walking anyway,
that's when I saw the most awesome sight
of the entire, spectacular day...
Praise be to God, the Giver of all good gifts...