I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.    Nathaniel Hawthorne 

I love autumn.

I love the colorful leaves and the crisp cool air.

I love the crunch of leaves beneath my feet as we walk down the sidewalk and the rustle of leaves as my children kick the leaves.

I love watching my children dive into piles of leaves and stagger out with leaves hanging off their jackets and hair.

I love watching the children find the perfect colorful leaves that they will bring inside and glue to paper.

In a few weeks the leaves will turn brown and dry and crumble away.  And I am left wondering if the leaves were ever really that bright.