Saying Goodbye to Summer

We said goodbye to summer with a last minute family trip to Stowe, Vermont this weekend. Immersed in the natural beauty and power of 200-foot waterfalls, scenic bike rides, and fabulous food, the five of us were able to connect one last time before the school year scatters us.

I am feeling the passage of time more than ever after taking my youngest to his first day of middle school yesterday. It begins. The letting go of a finger, a hand, an innocent kiss, to be replaced by the power of peers and that necessary but painful process of individuation. With school in session my kids are now being called to purpose and productivity and will likely thrive with the change from the slow pace of summer. But I am taking a few minutes this morning to memorize this summer's photographs and write their stories in my mind and thank God for times of rest and beauty and unplanned joy.