A Summer of Small Moments

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most 

beautiful words in the English language.” 

~Henry James

A common annual refrain is that summer flew by and we can't believe school is upon us and where did the time go? But not this year. We lived summer this year. We lived it in slow, ordinary moments. As Sherlock Holmes says, "There is nothing so important as trifles." We had a very trifling summer, in the best possible way. 

Maybe it was that after arriving home from China at the end of June, we did not do any traveling, aside from a weekend trip to the beach. 

Or maybe it was because we stuck fairly close to home, while settling Graham into our family and our routines. 

Or maybe it was because it was the hottest summer on record and we found ourselves longing for a gentle autumn shower to quench our parched pastures. 

Or maybe it was because we had a record-breaking zero minutes of screen time for seven straight weeks, which helped us savor those fleeting summer moments a little more deeply.

Whatever the reason, come September, we were ready for routine and cooler days and the end of summer, and school. And we did not grieve because we lived summer, and who could begrudge September her rightful place in time? 

September...

"This strangely still pause between summer and autumn, 

greenery and gold, and the heat and rising wind 

that is once again readying itself to 

rush it all away in a climactic symphony 

of color and scent is - in my opinion, 

one of the best parts about living on earth."

~ Victoria Erickson