Falling

The fall colors were almost gone from Middleville by the time Jack Bauer arrived home for leave. I was hoping that during our drive to and from Fayetteville we'd see some good color. It was dark by the time we arrived into the lower, warmer countryside surrounding Ft. Bragg, but as we left the city early Sunday, the roadside showed that there was still fall color to be found. Reds, oranges, golden yellows stood in stark contrast to the green of the pine trees. Fall color stood in contrast to the desert landscape that Jack had been surrounded by a week earlier.

As we headed into the Appalachians, the colored leaves became sparse then the trees were completely bare. The mountainsides with their stick framed trees revealed the large boulders that made up the formation below. As we drove through the North Carolina, Virginia, West Viriginia, and then Kentucky, the signs were prevalent: Fallen Rock. And sure enough, rocks, in all shapes and sizes, fallen and marked the steep hillsides. I imaged how long they had been there and people that touched them, the kids that had played on them.

In a long day of driving through the fall weather, I thought about falling in love. Or more specifically, falling in love with Jack Bauer over again. As I watched him drive, I realized how much lighter my heart has felt for the last 10 days, how much I have smiled from deep inside, how many moments we've shared, the laughter, the serious discussions, all of it. I have fallen in love all over again.