What falling leaves can teach us?
Monday, November 24, 2025
*Dolores Hanley McDiarmid
Do you find it difficult to part with things? If you are like me and are still working on the process of letting go of things that we do not need or that serve no purpose in our lives, we can take a graceful lesson from the trees in autumn.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I experienced a little bit of autumn while visiting friends in France. It was beautiful to see the leaves changing colors and falling gracefully and willingly from the tree branches to form a blanket of leaves that covered the ground.
Do you know why the leaves fall from trees in autumn? Trees shed their leaves because the leaves on the branches no longer serve a purpose for the tree. The leaves no longer provide food for the tree, so the tree sheds what is no longer of use to its survival. The leaves fall to the ground and nourish the roots, branches and trunk that will be used for new growth in the spring.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 tells us that there is a time for everything, a time to keep and a time to cast away. The trees seem to do this naturally. So why is it such a challenge for us humans?
I will be the first to admit that I have had emotional attachments to some things in my life but have had a desire to begin parting with things that I no longer needed and that served no purpose in my life. About seven years ago, a neighbor and I had a yard sale, and this was going to be my first attempt parting with things to which I was emotionally attached.
My husband and I had an old Superman T-shirt that had meaning for us when we first began dating, and I had an oversized bow tie with shamrocks on it that I used when I used to clown. We both agreed that neither of us would wear the Superman T-shirt again, and I wouldn’t wear the bow tie since I don’t clown anymore. We placed both items in the pile for the yard sale.
Shortly after the yard sale opened, a white SUV pulled up along the side of the street and two friendly women exited. They approached my table and one of the women was immediately drawn to the Superman T-shirt. She asked her friend if she thought the shirt would fit Louie. I asked where Louie was and was told he was in the SUV. “Why not let him try it on?” I asked.
Louie, the white labradoodle.
The two women returned to the SUV and opened the door. To my great surprise, an adorable white Labradoodle jumped out of the vehicle and rejoined the two ladies by my table. With much enthusiasm, I said, “Let’s see if the T-shirt fits him!”
Louie sat on his hind legs and was amiable to the gymnastics involved in moving his body parts into the Superman T-shirt. It was a perfect fit! Sold to Louie, the white labradoodle! “We’re not finished!” said Louie’s owner, “we would also like to buy the clown bow tie for Louie.”
Before leaving the yard sale, the woman explained that Louie was a therapy dog and visited hospitals and children’s centers. They told me that when the patients see Louie wearing the Superman T-shirt, there would be many smiling faces. The oversized shamrock bow tie would be worn on St. Patrick’s Day with the same results.
Meeting Louie on that Saturday morning and knowing that the items I parted with would bring much joy to the sick made my day! To this day, seven years later, I continue to experience that same joy. This experience made such an impact on me that it is now a little easier to part with things I no longer need.
During this autumn let us follow the example of the trees. Let us willingly part with things that we do not need and/or that do not serve a purpose in our lives, and let them gracefully fall into the lives of others who need and will benefit from them.
