November thanksgiving 14: Ohio weather

November sky
We have a saying here: "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes."

Yesterday afternoon, on the way home from speech, we stopped by the river, under skeleton trees sporting a few last leaves, and threw a blanket on the cushy green carpet overlaid in yellow. The Boy laughed at the wind and played in the leaves. Pouffy clouds scudded north, shifting the sky from mostly blue to three-quarters gray and white within half an hour. Last night, I took a walk after dark in a balmy, breezy 70 degrees.

During the night, a cold front rolled in, pushing rain before it. Today, the high will be 45.
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ADDED:

"Don't you like a rather foggy day in a wood in autumn? You'll find we shall be perfectly warm sitting in the car."

Jane said she'd never heard of anyone liking fogs before but she didn't mind trying. All three got in.

"That's why Camilla and I got married, " said Denniston as they drove off. "We both like Weather. Not this or that kind of weather, but just Weather. It's a useful taste if one lives in England."

"How ever did you learn to do that, Mr. Denniston?" said Jane. "I don't think I should ever learn to like rain and snow."

"It's the other way around," said Denniston. "Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up.

Noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children - and the dogs? They know what snow's made for.

-C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, Chapter 5. (HT: The Window in the Garden Wall. I couldn't find our copy this morning. :-)

November thanksgiving 13: advocates

An advocate . . . speaks on behalf of another . . . . Implicit in the concept is the notion that the represented lacks the knowledge, skill, ability, or standing to speak for themselves. (Wikipedia)

1. This past Saturday I heard several advocates for people with disabilities speak. I appreciate improvements they have made over the years in the lives of people with handicaps, though they have sometimes been more radical in their demands than I would have been.

2. I recently picked up Art Gish's* Hebron Journal from the "Middle East" table at our annual International Festival. Gish recounts his experiences as part of a Christian Peacemaker team in the Hebron area, 1995-2001. The team advocated for Palestinians: listening to those on each side of the conflict; reporting to those outside the area; taking meaningful, nonviolent action; and working with other local nonviolent groups.

3. Last week, as part of the Narnia film hoopla, our local paper printed an article on C.S. Lewis, under the headline "C.S. Lewis: Christ's Advocate." (The title seemed backward. See definition above.) Christ is our Advocate, for which we are thankful.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. . . .
I John 2:1, KJV

Speaking up for those less powerful is a risk; it takes time, effort, and courage. I'm thankful for advocates, people who speak for the weak.

*Gish is part of New Covenant Fellowship, a Christian commune affiliated with the Church of the Brethren.

Additional reading: Lisa, blogging at Ability Not Disability, shares a story of advocating for her daughter (which ended up with her picture on the front of NY Newsday!).

November thanksgiving 8: lactation consultant

Yesterday I noticed again, in passing, that Beloved Life is a lactation consultant. I had frequently thought of dropping her an email expressing my gratitude for the role our lactation consultant played in the early days of our son's life. So yesterday, I did:

I just have to tell you how important our lactation counselor was in helping me through the early days of our son's life. I was in shock for awhile. His immediate success at nursing was such a boon. It gave me something to work on; it gave me a vision of him being successful; it created that bond from the physical intimacy of nursing. I will never forget that woman: Diane. I am so grateful to her.

When I was pregnant, I learned that Earth Mothers were not the only women nursing. I took infant care classes at the hospital and read a number of books. I learned the nutritional and emotional benefits of nursing, and decided to give it a try. The Lamaze teacher warned* we would have to be aggressive about getting the help of a lactation consultant, in the maternity ward. The other hospital staff would not make it their priority.

I am so thankful to God that I was prepared to do this, before entering the hospital. Once our son was born, bathed, and awake, the lactation consultant came in to assist. He latched on and was able to nurse right away. She said that he was doing better than some of the babies in the nursery. (He spent two and half days in the NICU, to stabilize body temperature, blood sugar, and bilirubin levels.) This was where my connection to my child began. He was not summed up by the label "Down syndrome." He was a learner. He was successful. There was something I could give him that he needed.

I went to the NICU every three to five hours around the clock for the first three days, to nurse. I had one or two terrible experiences during the night when the lactation consultant was off-duty. The nurse on duty had no patience; she inserted a tube in our son's nose and gave me a bottle to squeeze formula in. By the third day, I raised a fuss and had a staff person from Patient Relations in my room.** Our son was moved out of the NICU and into my room, for his last night in the hospital.

Because I was nursing, this (Catholic) hospital allowed me to stay on in my room, at no cost, after my insurance quit paying for it. They stopped the meals and the regular checkups by the nursing staff, but I got the bed and the shower. If another mother had needed the bed, I would have had to leave. God blessed us, and there was room in that inn, at that time--because I was a nursing mother.
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Beloved Life noted that another benefit of nursing, for her, was the feeling of control it can give the mother of a newborn with special needs. I hadn't thought about this experience for a long time. I think nursing also gave me a feeling of personal competence: I am successful at nursing this child; I can meet his needs in the future. And the feeling radiated out from there to the hospital staff. I can feed this child; I can take care of him; he is my child, even though you are poking him with needles every three hours, isolating him in boxes of glass and karyotypes, and subjecting him to rock music and conversation about Julia Roberts' latest during the night. We belong to each other.

*This was probably my firstclue to my impending role as an advocate for my child.
**His vitals were in the safe range and stable; he was hooked up to a heart monitor for no reason.

November thanksgiving 6: the things they've handed down 1

When our son was an infant, Art Garfunkel's From A Parent to A Child album was recommended on an email list of new moms. I picked up a copy and purely enjoyed it. One song I found especially poignant was "The Things We've Handed Down." The lyrics refer to specific physical traits, but the underlying subtext suggests deeper layers of meaning, related to family and culture, beliefs and values.

I'm thankful for the people who've handed so many things down to me. Last night I re-read the history of Turkey Run* (the oldest continuing Mennonite Church in Ohio), founded in 1803, the year Ohio became a state. The church has never been large, but the people have been steadily faithful. Stories were collated stories for the church's bicentennial celebration two years ago. This one was included to emphasize an aspect of the church's Anabaptist heritage:

During the Civil War both the North and the South attempted to draft Mennonites and Dunkards into the army to fight for their respective causes. Abraham [Good, my great-great grandfather] was one of those who helped people having a conscience against enlisting to escape from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. One account is given of a group who refused to take up arms. Some ninety Dunkard Brethren and Mennonites met at Weaver's church late one night in the spring of 1862. They were about to be drafted. Their plan was to flee through West Virginia toward freedom into the Ohio Territory, where many of their brethren had already gone.

These men chose as their guide, the mountain hunter, Abraham Good. This capable backwoods man knew the ridges of the Shenandoah Mountains like the back of his hand. Some called him "Sawmill Abe"; others called him "Bear Abe," because he had sometimes shot bears at close range in their dens or, if no bear was in evidence when he arrived at a den, had holed up there himself for the night.

Abraham led this group heading north-west over steep mountains to the Potomac River, where they were stopped by Confederate scouts who demanded they dismount and hand over their horses and guns. One of the men in the gorup insturcted his men "Oh, brethren, pay mightily to God, He will deliver us." Reluctantly the men gave up their mounts, but they carried no guns.

This group was escorted back to Staunton, Virginia, herded on a train and sent to Richmond, Virginia to be imprisoned. As they were called before the examiner of the War Department and stated the reasons why they would not take up arms, the officer became impressed and commanded the Dunkard and Mennonite brethren to be set free. In October of 1862 exemption for conscientious objectors** was enacted. This law provided for hiring substitutes for service by paying conscription fees of $500.00 into the public treasury, of which many families took advantage.*

Following this incident, Good suffered harrassment and narrowly escaped execution, after being accused of carrying war news during trips to Ohio. As a result, he moved his family to northern Ohio. One of his sons, my great-grandfather, settled southeast, near Turkey Run. The church went through many changes over the years, deaths from smallpox, tensions related to language change (from German), migrations for cheaper farmland, etc.

A few years later, a traveling bishop visited. Concerned about retaining the young people, he prayed,

"May God grant that the glorious doctrine of our church, the doctrine for which our forefathers fled from one city to another, and from one country to another, for which thousands laid down their lives at the stake, on the cross and at the block, may still have its divine influence on the hearts and souls of many and lead them to be faithful followers of the meek and lowly Jesus." Grant M. Stoltsfus, Mennonites of the Ohio and Eastern Conference, 1969, p. 94.

Since then, the church has sent a disproportionately large number of its members to serve on the missionfield, in countries including: Somalia, Kenya, Central America, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Canada.

But there were also many who faithfully served at home, teaching Sunday School classes, cleaning the church, mowing the cemetery and the multitude of other jobs that needed to be done, and without which the service abroad would also not have been accomplished, and which so often are overlooked and unheralded.*

I look back at these people, and at my own grandparents, and am so thankful for the faith and values they handed down, and for the vessels of tradition it was carried in. I wonder how well I am doing at preserving the essentials I received. To whom am I responsible to pass them? In what forms should I carry them?

*All quotes are from The History of Turkey Run Mennonite Church, researched and recorded by C. and L. Wesselhoeft, 2003.
**Law at state and Confederate levels related to conscientious objectors varied over time. Not sure which this is referring to.

November thanksgiving 5: public libraries

I am thankful for the public library system in this country. We owe much of the credit for it to Andrew Carnegie.

In our town, we are especially blessed. Our library is ranked number one in the U.S. this year, in its category.*

*Serving a population of 500,000 or more.

November thanksgiving 1: financial stability

Rebecca at Rebecca Writes has declared November "gratitude month" on her blog, and invited readers to follow suit.* I am going to take her up on it. (It is good for one's character, and might reduce blogging time a little, and give me time to work on my lengthy to-do list.)

With the advent of cooler weather, the furnace goes on, and the humidity in the house goes down. The dry air causes our son to have sinus problems, resulting in difficulty getting to sleep, and late nights all around. We had a humidifier put on the furnace of our old house, but our current house (since last February) doesn't have one. I just called a relative, who owns a heating and cooling business, to arrange for the installation of a humidifier on our furnace. I am thankful we are able to afford to have this done. I know that financial stability is not something to take for granted; we could lose it tomorrow. We have it today, and I am thankful.

*Her choice is intriguing. She lives in the Yukon, where Thanksgiving is in October. She is originally from the U.S., and just recently became a citizen of Canada. I'm wondering if she's homesick a little homesick for her old November holiday. We'll share. :-)

Homing, October 2005
(for Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
February 4, 1913- October 24, 2005)

Interview with Douglas Gresham

Check out Christianity Today's web site for an interview with Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis's stepson. Gresham has been working as a consultant on Disney's filming of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and has just finished another book on Lewis, Jack's Life.

CT: You've said, "Jack was the finest man and the best Christian I've ever known." Why do you feel that way?
Gresham: Jack was a man who was always available, and I think this is the crux of Christianity. We all tend to read complex Christian books analyzing the Scriptures, analyzing the various doctrines. And all that does is complicate the issues. God sent down all his rules and regulations; they were ignored. He sent the prophets; they were ignored. Jesus came down himself to tell us how to live real human lives, and he was ignored. Since then, scholars have written critical and analytical things about the Scriptures. But C. S. Lewis wrote in his books, This is how to do what Jesus taught. His message is, "Stop talking about it, stop studying it, just get out there and do Christianity." Jack did it.

ADDED: Don't miss part two: Narnia Comes to Life.

Tree in October, Holmes County, 2005

South side hitman 2: Joy in the Windy City!

Yahoo! Hope Shoeless Joe Jackson was watching. After 88 years of waiting, it tasted good.

Recent visitors by world map

Has site meter always had the world map feature, or is it new? If you use site meter, you can go into it, look under the recent visitors options, can click on "by world map," and see a photographic view of the continents, with little bullets locating your visitors. Most of mine are from the United States, but a few days ago, I had dots on Spain and the eastern side of central Africa. (I think some of these people must cruise through clicking that "next blog" feature in the upper right hand corner of Blogger.) Now I see two from Western Europe and one from Australia have been here; that might be Scotwise. It's a small world, after all.

South Side Hitmen

Kenneth Dickerman for the New York Times
A bronze lion flanking the entrance to the Art Institute in downtown Chicago now sports a White Sox cap.

The Chicago White Sox are two games away from their first World Series championship in 88 years.

Several weeks ago, when we were in south Chicago on a Sunday, my husband's aunt taught a children's Sunday School class. The lesson was part of a series on the Ten Commandments. That day's study focused on "You shall have no other gods before me." To get the idea across to the children, she told them that they should not worship the Chicago White Sox above God.

These children of Dutch immigrants* take their baseball seriously. It's more than a sport. It's about class and identity. From the New York Times:

The last time the Sox went to a World Series was 1959, and they have not won since 1917. Across town, the Cubs made it to the series in 1945, and they won it most recently almost a century ago, in 1908.

. . . .this rivalry, like most, is about more than baseball. It is about perceptions of class and race and heritage on the two sides of Madison Street, the line that splits the city into North and South.

"In truth, I'd say there's no difference between the people that root at either park," said Rob Levoy, a White Sox fan who has moved to the North Side. "But the perception is that the North Side owns the city and the South Side built it."

The hatred," he said, "is real."

And so, South Siders have gone right on moaning that elites crowd into the ivied Wrigley Field caring more about getting tan, talking on cellphones and planning their post-game, North Side bar-hopping than about baseball.

North Siders, meanwhile, gripe that the fans at U.S. Cellular Field (the White Sox park that many here still call Comiskey) are too rough, too wild and inhabit a dismally ugly stadium, whatever its name, in a neighborhood with little to do.

I wouldn't go so far as to use the word "hatred," but emotions run high. My father-in-law has been waiting for the Sox to play in the World Series since their last berth in 1959--my husband, all his life.

I hope the White Sox win, if only to give joy to the children of generations of tall, stoic, frugal, stubborn, work-proud, frequently blonde men hauling garbage --north and south-- day after smelly day, year after year, fueled by bland food, unbending faith, and a sharp and steady sense of humor.

*Many of whom made their living hauling the city's garbage.

Unreached people group

If you have time, check out Christianity Today's Fear Not the Disabled.

In the debate over human embryonic stem cells, Christians are right to defend the humanity and dignity of the embryo. But our well-reasoned words are unlikely to convince people who fear disease and incapacitation if we do not also demonstrate real pro-life compassion for a whole class already here—people with disabilities.
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Whether the law mandates it or not, we should make every reasonable effort, especially as we build new facilities, to remove the physical barriers that keep the disabled from our houses of worship. This means providing curb cuts, ramps, adequate handicapped parking spaces, and doors and aisles wide enough for a wheelchair.* If we don't, they won't come. The disabled and the family members who care for them constitute one of the great unreached groups of our time.**
Just as important as physical accommodation is an attitude that welcomes the physically and mentally challenged with open arms. A church that welcomes the disabled is great, but a bolder step forward is for churches to be inclusive. When people with disabilities are recognized as participants, not as "the needy," we all benefit. Paul reminded the Corinthians that "the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable." The disabled need the church—almost as much as the church needs the disabled.

Many of us over here in the "parallel universe" know this. As a friend who has pushed disability ministry in the church uphill for years says, "The public schools are doing a better job of including people with disabilities than the churches are." Sleepers, awake.

How many times have you seen a person with a significant handicap performing a meaningful task/function in a church?

Relevant link: Christian Council on Persons with Disabilities

*Don't forget those with poor vision and the hearing-impaired.
**Don't forget the doctors, nurses, therapists, aides, social workers, and educators who watch.

Disability Hierarchy

Last week, a discussion arose on the nation e-list (for parents of children with Down syndrome) expressing irritation over the use of words such as "high functioning" and "low functioning" being used to describe/compare children. I am also uncomfortable with the language, but understand professionals use it as a shorthand in some contexts, to save time. However, it undoubtedly causes lowered expectations in many cases. And it is discriminatory. I've never heard a nondisabled person being described as low-functioning. The language has a de-humanizing element. People should be specific about what a person can and cannot do, if they are in a situation where knowing another person's acquired skills is relevant to their job.

For further reading, Tara Marie referred parents to The Disability Hierarchy article in the lastest issue of Disability Is Natural. I don't remember seeing this website before. It links to a number of insightful and thought-provoking articles, including:
Halloween and the Mask of Disability
Disability Awareness vs. Similarity Awareness
When Is a Disability Not a Disability
Community Leadership for Inclusion
The Magic (and Lessons) of Movies
When Less Is More
Why Do We Have Parallel Worlds?
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Walking the walk: Kim at Upward Call has posted Loving the Hard Ones, on relating to an adult with autism, who is greatly impaired in his ability to form healthy relationships. Kim draws a picture of the practical working out of welcoming people with certain types of disabilities into the church. I applaud her for staying in the game.

Between two worlds

Today The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have (Prenatal testing is making your right to abort a disabled child more like "your duty" to abort a disabled child)* was mailed out on the national Down syndrome e-list. The mother who shared it used the heading, "Finally, someone is speaking my heart." I responded, "Mine, too." Patricia E. Bauer, the author, writes:

What I don't understand is how we as a society can tacitly write off a whole group of people as having no value. I'd like to think that it's time to put that particular piece of baggage on the table and talk about it, but I'm not optimistic. People want what they want: a perfect baby, a perfect life. To which I say: Good luck. Or maybe, dream on.

And here's one more piece of un-discussable baggage: This question is a small but nonetheless significant part of what's driving the abortion discussion in this country. I have to think that there are many pro-choicers who, while paying obeisance to the rights of people with disabilities, want at the same time to preserve their right to ensure that no one with disabilities will be born into their own families. The abortion debate is not just about a woman's right to choose whether to have a baby; it's also about a woman's right to choose which baby she wants to have.

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Last week, Mel of Actual Unretouched Photo linked to a Harvard Gazette article about a study by Brian Skotko, a med school student. Skotko, who has a sister with Down syndrome researched the manner in which physicians tell parents their baby has Down syndrome, and made recommendations for improvement.

Doctors continue to find it very challenging to deliver a diagnosis like Down syndrome to an otherwise happy expectant mom," says Skotko, who has a 24-year-old sister with Down syndrome and co-authored the award-winning book "Common Threads: Celebrating Life With Down Syndrome" (Band of Angels Press). "But the results of this study are conclusive: Delivering a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome does not have to be a gloomy affair. In fact, mothers in this study have now written the prescription on how best to explain the diagnosis in a loving manner."

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Yesterday, Dan from Cerulean Sanctum referred me to a Wall Street Journal article about a young woman with Down syndrome planning her wedding:

But then, Ms. Bergeron said something that quieted the room. Despite her many successes and a level of integration that once seemed impossible to imagine for someone with her disability, Ms. Bergeron said she still didn't have many close friends. Often, she added, "I felt lonely."

Ms. Bergeron's dilemma is especially poignant because people with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities increasingly find themselves succeeding in mainstream society. They go to public schools, taking classes, joining sports teams and singing in the choir with classmates. They work at jobs in the community. But still, like Ms. Bergeron, they often find themselves caught between two worlds.

Many people with disabilities, and sometimes their families, do feel they live between two worlds. Sometimes they feel invisible in our culture. I am glad when attention is paid.

From WSJ: A Brother's Survey Touches a Nerve In Abortion Fight (also covers the Skotko study)
A Young Woman With Disabilities Plans Her Wedding
(I think the National Down Syndrome Society is paying to make these available online. Generally, Wall Street Journal articles are available only to subscribers.)

*Justin Taylor, who blogs at Between Two Worlds, also links to additional, related articles. (HT: Adrian Warnock)

Forgiveness

Joan Medlin, mother of a son with a dual diagnosis (Down syndrome and autism), recently posted An Effective Complement: Advocacy & Forgiveness,* on the Disability Solutions web site. She writes:

Over the years, I’ve had to advocate staunchly for my son . . . . In those early years I was devastated after every meeting. I felt exhausted—like one of the “Dementors” from Harry Potter had sucked all but a last breath from me. In just a short time, “advocacy” became synonymous with anger and frustration.

She validates the feelings of parents:

I agree that more often than not parents have a lot to be frustrated and angry about. Constantly maneuvering to find someone who sees your child as a great kid (rather than being told all the things he can’t do) is not easy. Living under the microscope of special education without feeling judged at some point is impossible. The evaluation” is not limited to academics, school situations, or your child’s strengths. Folks tend to want to know just what it is we’re doing at home to teach our children.

I’ve been doing some reading on forgiveness over the past year. I am increasingly convinced it is the missing link in advocacy efforts.

She describes what forgiveness is, and what it is not, then goes on to say:

I believe forgiveness strengthens my ability to advocate effectively. By letting go of resentment and anger, people are more willing to talk and problem-solve. They are less likely to worry the discussion will become a battle with an angry parent. Remember, forgiving someone does not mean they are not accountable for their actions. No one loses their rights by forgiving an injustice.

This is a timely article. Like Joan, I have experienced frustration in dealing with educators, medical professionals, and social service providers. Joan is bringing a gift to this "field of discourse" by introducing the issue of forgiveness. We need the healing and empowerment it can bring, for both ourselves and our children.

Joan, who is also editor of Disability Solutions, is a nutritionist and author of The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles.

*This article was posted October 12, and will eventually disappear from this web site and be linked by date at the bottom of it.

Rearview mirror

Several years ago I got a tape of Philip Yancey's presentation at a Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing. He made several statements about the limitations of writing, one of which was that it reduces. We experienced great hospitality on our recent trip to Chicago, and I will not reduce it to a blog post. However, I will share a few things I learned.

Aurelio's has the best pizza in Chicago, and the best Aurelio's is the original one, in the suburb of Homewood. The first few bites of thin crust pepperoni had me thinking, "This is as good as chocolate!"

You can bake bacon evenly in the oven, on a jelly roll pan, at 375 degrees, until it's done.

Stores are closed in observance of the Sabbath, in South Holland, a Chicago suburb.

Sand Ridge Nature Center, a 235-acre nature preserve in South Holland, is part of 21,000+ acres set aside by the Cook County Commissioners in the early part of the 20th century. They foresaw the future growth of the city and the need for natural preservation. Chicago magazine designated Sand Ridge "Best Family Outing" in 2003. Its butterfly garden contained plants which are also native to our area. It fights some of the same non-native aggressors we do: garlic mustard, Japanese honeysuckle, purple loosestrife.

You may eat shrimp on the sidewalk at the Navy Pier Bubba Gump Shrimp Company one hot summer day. Six years later, you may return in autumn; it's cooler. You get the "best table in the house," with windows on two sides, and a couple signs hanging over your son's head.*

Speaking of whom, he made it clear during the trip that he appreciates a king-size bed and McDonald's hot apple pies. Either of which is preferable to pizza, chocolate, or shrimp.

*And the very cool waiter at the next table will stop to tell you he has an 18-year-old brother with Down syndrome, who is ornery, like your son.

Past Watchful Dragons

C.S. Lewis fans will converge on Belmont University in Nashville, TN, November 3-5, 2005:

Inspired by the forthcoming film . . . of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this conference celebrates C.S. Lewis's contribution to literature, theology, apologetics, scholarship, popular culture, myth, and imagination. 'Past Watchful Dragons' will also consider the work of the constellation of writers associated with Lewis such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and Dorothy Sayers.

Speakers include:
Doug Gresham, C.S. Lewis's stepson and film consultant for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College
David Payne of Rising Image Productions, which specializes in dramatizations of the works of Lewis
Music:
The Glass Hammer, a literary progressive rock band which specializes in music based on the writings of Lewis.
The Nashville Symphony, performing Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony.

In Time of Sorrow

May you see God’s light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Not turn your heart to stone,
And may you always remember
You do not walk alone.

This is an old Celtic blessing, shared by Being Barbara on her blog. She is requesting prayer for her pastors and their families.

Autumn in Ohio

I once had an English instructor who told the class she found October the most beautiful season of the year in Ohio. Until then, I had always taken our autumns for granted, and liked earth's wakening in spring best. Now, I take neither for granted, and find both beautiful.

This picture was taken in late October, 2002, in the Japanese Garden area of Dawes Arboretum, near Newark, Ohio.