Fall Leaves...

Playlist Pick: Forever - Chris Brown

One of my most favorite things to do in the Fall when I was a young child was to preserve leaves in wax paper. It was something I always looked forward to doing when that time of the year rolled around. Art was my favorite thing to do in school, so when we got to do this project I was really excited. I vividly remember sitting at my elementary school desk on my wooden school chair with the metal legs and frame, and the wooden seat and back rest (they could not have been that comfortable, maybe that explains my back pain today). My desk was made of similar structure, wood desktop and metal frame and legs.


Anyway, I remember our assignment of bringing in leaves for arts and crafts. I was so excited to pick out the biggest and most colorful leaf to bring into class. Arts and crafts were usually done at the end of the day right before school let out. We would all get our leaves out, the teacher would pass out wax paper, then we would put the leaf in the middle of two sheets of wax paper, then the teacher and teacher's assistant would come around with an iron and iron our leaf together preserving it in the wax paper. At that time we would pull out our school scissors. I had a pair that I kept in my Snoopy school box (what I called it) that I still have today.

Man, I love that school box! It makes me feel happy! Scissors in hand, we would cut out our leaf from the wax paper, following the outline of the leaf, and then we'd have our finished product! I remember taking it home to mom and dad and showing them with excitement what I had accomplished at school. It was far more important to me than my grades or the "A" that I got on my spelling test, or my penmanship awards.

So, as we Floridians begin to feel hints of what is our Fall season, I reminisce on the days of old. The simple things that made me so happy to be alive!!!

Have a great day, and remember, it is the small simple positive things all around us, that if we choose to focus on, makes life worth so much more to live...