Winds of Change

August brings the first signs of fall with cooler evenings, the occasional red leaf appearing on a bush or tree, and racks of school supplies in stores. With the winds of seasonal change come laments of how summer flew by and how will we bear another winter? The rational mind tells us that summer days are 24 hours long just like a day in any other season but we also know that the sun is rising later and setting earlier so daylight hours are diminishing a little bit each day. It is too early, however, to batten down the hatches in preparation for winter; that's the work of fall. Now is the time to savor summer. I remember the Augusts when we purchased a bushel of ripe peaches to can. In February, when we opened the last jar of peach halves, the children commented that they looked and tasted like sunshine. It was summertime in a jar. Yes, August is a month to enjoy summer's gifts and to store its fruits and memories.  Gladiolas bloom, tomatoes ripen and the hum of cicadas reminds us that the winds of change are blowing. To paraphrase E.B. White: I get up in the morning torn between the desire to save the world and to savor it. This makes it hard to plan my day! I say, let go of the conflict and savor the summer in August. It won't last forever nor will our young children stay so young. There's plenty of time to save the world, maybe in September of when our children are grown. For today, let's savor it!