A string of rainy, cool days teases us with thoughts of autumn. While summer is surely not over yet, with many days to be enjoyed and lived to the full, autumn will come. Though unofficial, for parents of school-aged children, autumn arrives when school begins. And with a new school year comes a new beginning, one that sometimes feels more natural than the official New Year that arrives with the turning of the calendar.
I’m thinking ahead during these quiet days of summer, during the restful days that the week’s end brings. As I begin reaching for a dream, I’m all aflutter with excitement over the arrival of my required reading books. I’m filling my calendar and thinking hard about what I must release from my grasp to free my hands to reach. Opportunities arise that quickly seek to be held. Good things. But I must decline the good for the better. It’s a hard choice to make. Saying yes to something always means saying no to other possibilities. We truly cannot do it all; we were not meant to do it all. There’s sacrifice in accepting that. It is humbling to confess our own frailty, our own dependence. We are not self-sufficient. And yet, accepting brings relief. We are finally able to see we don’t have to do it all. And we are free to reach only for the best.
Does autumn signal a new beginning for you? What are you saying yes to?
May you find restful time this weekend to reflection upon what you need to release to be free to reach for the best.
In hope,
Shelli
About Shelli Bourque