Summer Shadows

Summertime is slowly drifting away. The shadows are growing longer. Schools begin week after next. Soon, we'll have little colorful gourdes on the vine in our backyard. Autumn is only a moment away. And I'm excited to see it again!

The summer months were very busy for me and my family. I had big dreams of getting a lot of things done and organized, books read and writing written. That didn't happen. Expectations not met. Summer is not my season.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I grew up in Northern California, not far from the Oregon border, where giant pine and redwood trees rule the landscape. They are beautiful, but the vibrant fall color splashed on the Pennsylvania hillsides takes my breath away! Ahhhh, the smokey scent from a distant chimney filling the cool air causes me to think about pumpkins - bright orange and lovely. I feel revived in the crisp air that surrounds autumn. I need that right now.

I look forward to the first day of school, as it ushers in a new season of life. Even with the busyness of school activities, there is a certain comfort with the routine. In a strange way, it's a time of slowing down. Preparing for winter's hibernation effect. Football games under the big lights and a full moon, my buns frozen to the aluminum bleachers and the smell of hot cocoa steaming from an insulated Thermos - warming my hands.

Creativity is beginning to brew deep within me, I can feel it...like a dull ache. Getting back in to a routine will certainly be good. I need to write. I need to design jewelry. The artist within is tired of summer hibernation and is ready to emerge fully!

Yes, as the perennials in my garden take the approaching season to rest and eventually fade away, I too will rest but, I will also blossom with a fresh newness - coming more alive than I have been all year long. Autumn. It's glorious...