Falling Leaves and Leaving Behind
It's a big fall for us. Our daughter started Grade 1 last week and our son starts Junior Kindergarten next week. It's nice to ease back into the fall routine and I feel grateful that I've had a little bit more time to hang onto the days where my son and I hang out together. I feel like I'm digging my heels into the ground. Still warm from the summer sun, wanting to cling to the moments and cuddles and time to just be.
Our summer consisted of so much time at the cottage, riding bikes, swimming in the lake, visiting Grandma and friends and generally waking up in the morning and deciding what to do. it was glorious and luxurious and full of all the things we love. And most of all, it was full of seemingly endless hours of just being together. It was full of time for living in the moment.
It's in unexpected moments that you learn something about each other or discover something that opens your eyes or awakens your soul. Having time to just absorb life and moments and each other, time to reflect and read and cook delicious food and watch the sun set. It's moments like those that amazing gifts emerge and transformations take place.
So often we rush and rush and miss opportunities to connect and just be with one another. In doing so, we miss the chance to build deeper relationships, stronger bonds and more bliss. Once the leaves begin to fall I always feel excited about what's coming next while digging in my heals trying to hold to the last rays of summer heat and lazy days. There is a delicate balance to being in the moment and moving toward the exciting and new.
What I know for sure is that the time spent recharging as a family this summer will fuel us through the changes that lie ahead. It has bonded us and will give us the patience and strength to make it through a busy, cold winter. Those blissful moments and simple walks together have created something that will linger and last. Something that holds us and lifts us up even when things get hectic. A place to always feel safe and loved and true. Remember those truths as you enter fall and the routine and 'busy-ness' that comes with it. Hold on to the small treasures and moments that keep you connected to what really matters.