saying good-bye.

Was it really over two months ago that I was sitting through the longest school assembly of my life, waiting on edge for the final dismissal to come and summer vacation to begin? Now, the wind blowing loudly past my open window hints of autumn and the floor is strewn with new shoebox lids, shopping receipts and shiny plastic binders. Today, I caught a glimpse of my profile in a mirror as we dawdled through the annual back-to-school shopping tasks. The girl in the reflection may have looked familiar, but her eyes were more wise and her expression more determined. Her shoulders displayed confidence and it was almost as if she had become a new person -- but I wouldn't let that trick you for a minute, because this girl never changed her identity, she only became true to it. The hands that fell at her sides had written many words and snapped thousands of photographs over the summer months and her face gained new lines from laughing and crinkles from smiling. I am very, very proud of the girl -- me -- in the mirror.

The past week has been spent wishing for colored leaves, pumpkin breads, knit layers and all things related to glorious fall. But now that September has come to replace the sweet season of summer, I'm holding on desperately to August like a child clings to their mother's skirts on the first day of kindergarten. I don't want to let go yet.

I don't want to let go of the late night reading and the peaches for breakfast. I am reluctant to part with the flowers in the garden, the meals spent outdoors and the many laughs shared. I hate to say good-bye to the long daylight hours, going barefoot and baking whenever I please. But I know that I must. I will raise my hand in farewell to the summer that has been so, so very good to me. I am grateful for everything that this summer has brought, and I can't deny the exciting things that fall will have to offer. Before I retreat to the cozy warmth of autumn, I'll share these last few summer frames that I hold so dearly.