endings and beginnings

Summer is coming to an end.

The nights are getting chillier, the fans are off and the kids are back in warm fleecy PJs. Tent caterpillars weave their gauzy homes in the trees and crickets chirp under rocks and in the grass. Local strawberries are long gone and the blueberry supply is rapidly dwindling. That last explosion of summer bounty is here: Pennsylvania peaches, sweet corn, melons, early apples. Today, after getting home from dinner out, I noticed that some of the trees have gotten an early start on changing into their autumn finery. This evening I sat in the rocking chair and drank a mug of steaming hot chocolate.

I love living where there are seasons. Each turn is like a new beginning, a fresh page, a chance to start anew. This summer has been one of transition; now is the time for settling down, living quietly, thinking deeply, rejoicing greatly.