“I can’t believe it’s September already.”

A number of people have been saying this over the last week or so, and I thought it myself as I turned the calendar page over to the new month. (Yes, I still use a paper calendar on the kitchen counter, in addition to the digital one on my phone.)

There’s something about September. It seems to contain more pronounced beginnings and endings than other months. Maybe it’s because the Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer. Or because I still think of September as the start of the school year, even though it’s been a long time since school started every year on the day after Labor Day.

Or maybe it’s because even now, the Labor Day weekend always takes me back in time to the small town where I grew up, and to the Keepataw Days carnival and parade that took place on that weekend every year. It was a major event for the whole town, and it was also the clear break between summer and school.

I always think of September as the time of year when the days start to get noticeably shorter, and the weather starts to get noticeably cooler. That’s certainly not happening this year, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m now living in Georgia rather than Minnesota. Much of the country is still suffering from record-breaking heat. Even so, in my mind the transition to cooler weather always starts in September. And I sure hope it starts soon!

September is when the leaves start to change color, when apple and pumpkin scents are everywhere, and when we begin thinking about the coming holidays that will take us into fall, winter, and then a brand-new calendar year.

But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. First, I want to appreciate and enjoy all the endings – and beginnings – that September brings.

September 10, 2022
©Betty Liedtke, 2022

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