Autumn reminds of life cycles, which is perhaps why Jewish holidays fall at this time. As the leaves magically shift from serene greens to brazen reds and oranges we receive their strong cues that time should not be wasted.
Today our Jewish community received word of the passing from cancer of a young boy, who just celebrated his bar mitzvah this weekend in his hospital bed. His parents are beloved in our community, and his mom blogged her personal journey through these several months of treatment, hope, sadness. My son's school, where the boy's dad is a dean, disbursed; when my son phoned asking to be picked up, I heard that heavy just-crying voice. I think that the pain, being communal, could be even worse for some than a private grief.
We musn't waste a day. I'm going out in our neighborhood with my camera to document the changing leaves, wishing I could capture time, and knowing I must rush before the next storm strips the branches bare.
