The leaves have found a way to notify us that it is autumn now, but the weather did not agree. A warm and sunny day it was on Bayou DeSiard at the edge of the University of Louisiana Monroe’s campus recently when Norm and I went to the water skiing team’s demonstration.

The team gathered along the banks of the bayou to prepare for their demonstration. So young and vital, I could not help my mind from wandering to those days when I was that way. Time moved ever onward while I was not paying attention. As the leaves served as harbingers of nature’s autumn, the youth before me did the same for me.

Buds will appear on those trees in the spring, yet my youth can never return. These kids are blissfully unaware that youth is a fleeting commodity. It’s better this way.

The kids went about their business showing off their athletic prowess with “toe” tricks, pyramids, jumps, and playful stunts. How easy they made it look!

Congratulations to the 2012 National Water Skiing Champions of University of Louisiana Monroe. It was an invigorating afternoon for more reasons than they will ever know.