ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

An army of trees surrounds the crystalizing pond,

The leaves begin to fall, but their outer shell remains,

Clothed in brilliant shades of gold, crimson and brown,

The air has a chilling bite to it,

An eagle circles above,

Spying his breakfast from aloft,

He swoops and dips – success,

The still water is shattered like broken glass,

But soon regains its calm,

Reflections of an azure sky,

Shimmer and bounce from trees to pond and back again,

The emerald greens of summer are now clothed with crimson, rust and gold,

The soft and gentle autumn breeze will soon turn bitter cold,

Bringing another season for us mortals to behold.

This is another painting done at the Wargo Nature Center, where Paul worked as a naturalist part-time after retiring. Both of us were blessed to continue working in jobs that we loved. It would be ten more years before I totally retired, but even that wasn’t the end. Aging into retirement isn’t easy when your nest egg has hatched and flown the coop. Fortunately both of us found jobs that would fulfill our love for the arts and nature. I recently told a friend that our marriage was filled with many ups and downs, but the love between us never waned. That love built a solid marriage, an amazing family, a couple of successful businesses. It also carried us through the difficulties that tested what we thought were insurmountable odds. God is so good. He provides for us in all those times. Love is what makes life worth living. God is love. He never lets us go.