While the early days of Autumn may inspire many folks with happy thoughts of cozy sweaters, cooler weather, colorful foliage and the promise of the Holiday Season, for me, it is a time of sad reflection. Over many years, these first five weeks of the Autumn Season contain a long list of losses: my beloved grandfather, now 50 years dead; many dear friends and business associates; and my much-loved animal companions Bad Dog, Wally, and Toby.

While sorting through some files, I found a poem I wrote after Bad Dog’s tragic demise. I’ve posted STAY in my Foolishly Free section as a bit of catharsis. NOTE: Foolishly Free arranges those posts in an oldest-to newest format. Scroll to the bottom of that page to find that poem (but, please enjoy the earlier posts, too!)

PS: if you didn’t see my FB post, the photo above is of a small porcelain rose that , I was told, was once a popular memorial accessory at British grave sites.