September is here! When this month arrives, I think of Labor Day, the beginning of school, the fall season and shorter days. So much happens in September which is why I think this month so special:
Labor Day is the last official holiday of the summer and the last holiday for cookouts until next year. Some say it is also the last day to fashionably wear white.
A new school year allows students to improve on what they did or didn’t do last year, meet new friends, get better grades and make different choices.
As fall begins, the leaves start to change to those beautiful autumn colors. It is time to bring out the rake and leaf blower.
And, the days grow shorter. During summer, we get used to seeing the sunrise early in the morning, but when fall comes the sun shows up a little bit later each day until, before you know it, it’s dark when you wake up and dark when you head home from work. (It’s funny that every year this happens and every year we act if though this is new to us!)
I look at September being all of the above and more. Without these changes in our daily lives and in the universe, how can we start anew? Flowers fade so they can come back to life next year. Birds fly south only to return in a few months and grace us with their beautiful sounds and a sight to behold. Best of all this is a time for us to make those necessary changes that we want to make in our lives and to appreciate the changes that we’ve already made.
Vanessa Davis is administrative assistant with Women of the ELCA.