Bittersweet Magic

There are many things in life that are bittersweet....both good and bad, happy and sad...at the very same time. Like having to say goodbye to people you love after a really good visit....or transitions from one phase of life to another.  Life is full of bittersweet moments.

At the end of our walk this morning I was completely smitten with bittersweet the plant....growing wild along the edge of the woods. It caught and held my attention for quite a long time....I couldn't stop looking....and taking photos.

The plant itself is actually bittersweet....both beautiful and invasive....often tangling around and sometimes smothering other plants around it. 

But today I'm choosing to celebrate the sweet side of bittersweet. I'm celebrating this moment in the fall when the orange capsules split open and reveal the bright red berries inside. I love this color combination this time of year....fall orange and Christmas red.  

And I can't see bittersweet without thinking about my dear friend Linda....who loves it more than anyone I know. 

And when you happen to catch bittersweet dripping from the overnight rain with the sun rising behind it....it's bittersweet magic.