Simon sat there watching the leaves in his yard.  I didn’t have the heart to break the silence, but the question was burning in my mind.

“Simon?  Did you ever find out what the German said?”

He shrugged.  “No, not really.  Like I said, no one there spoke a lick of German, and no one really talked about it too much after that.  We had to get Mark some sort medical attention.  He survived, but he couldn’t shoot very well anymore.”  He laughed slightly.  “I had to give him credit, though.”

“Really?  Why?”

“Well, he wasn’t much use in battle, and I know his arm and shoulder were hurting bad, but the man wouldn’t stop smiling and laughing.  The rest of us were worried about him, trying to get him back to home base without losing him, but he just kept telling us to pay attention to the leaves and how nice they looked.  I told him that he should think about going home, and he assured me that he was, but he couldn’t pass up looking around at the beauty he saw.”

Penny went over and sat down in front of him.  Without leaving his memory, he reached out and scratched behind her ears.  I had to laugh slightly.  She was always looking for someone to do just that.

“It wasn’t until later that I realized what he was driving at.  We all were working under the assumption that we would all go home, and everything would be okay.  We needed to keep that attitude to survive; it was the only way.  But being so focused on what we thought our future would be we forgot about what was around us.”

“What do you mean?  The rubble?  The gunfire?”  I was still puzzled.  I didn’t see how a battlefield could be so inspiring to Simon.  He shook his head.  His smile didn’t waver.

“That and something so much more.  There was a beauty in the moment, in our comrades.  Even the falling leaves gave us a bit of hope because we knew that it meant that things would change, and yet remain eternal.  Whatever situation we faced, no matter where we went, we carried the idea of those leaves with us.”

Our conversation continued, and Simon and I talked many times after that first time when my dog ran through his pile of leaves.  He taught me to find humor and delight in just about everything.  The grey clouds meant that rain and growth was on its way.  When I got laid off from my job, Simon showed me that I could now pursue my passion as a writer.  I used the skills I learned and the stories he shared as my starting point.  Now, I’m starting to make my living telling stories and discovering new tales.  I’m not rich by any means, but I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. 

And I always pay attention to the leaves.