I am a fall, spring season type with a little winter and summer thrown in for the change. As a child and young mother, I looked forward to summer. I loved not having things so scheduled, the girls being home and able to be laid back. Of course, there was swim team practice and swim meets, eventually all of them going away to camp for three weeks, our two- or three-week trip to Florida to visit my parents, and a trip to northern Virginia to see my sister and nieces, sight-see and take in a baseball game. However, except for missing the girls terribly while they were at camp, summers were great. Even with all the above-mentioned plans, summers went by faster than I would have liked.

Things did slow down some when the girls grew up and were on their own. None of them were very far away, so visits happened fairly frequently. The only time that changed was when our middle daughter moved to China for a few months – but that meant an exciting visit to a country I never thought I would go to – and when she moved to Texas for a year and a half before finally getting back to North Carolina. The coming of grandchildren also meant a quickening of summer. Having them out of school allows for more visits and trips. Since moving to the coast, the beach is a must-do for the only ones that don’t live here. That, along with seeing their cousins, boat rides and heading to several favorite spots makes the days fly by.

Now, as summer vacations are almost over, my thoughts turn to the new school year. There won’t be as many visits from the Charlotte crew, and the ones that live here will be busy with after-school activities. Still, the days stretch longer, even though the days grow shorter. This year, my mind will be on how their school years are going. My eldest grandchild will be entering her junior year in high school. She has already started going on college tours. She has a long list of ones she wants to visit. Not so secretly, I hope she chooses one closer to home than Yale or Princeton, but it’s her choice, and I know she’ll make the right one when the time is right. My next eldest granddaughter moves to middle school. This has never been one of my favorite years of school. It will be a big change for her and makes her a little anxious. I know she will do well and settle into the change of a larger school, new teachers and making new friends. The others will be in eighth, fifth, two in third and the youngest in kindergarten. 

The time slowing down is welcome as I am not a fan of life speeding by. The fall weather is welcoming, making long walks pleasurable instead of dreaded. I like the long days of summer, but I am better at getting dinner ready when the sun sets earlier. There are soccer games, recitals, Halloween, school functions to attend and traveling to foreign lands. Even with that and more I haven’t listed, the day to day activities will often find me sitting on my porch reading, writing or just enjoying the lovely view. I won’t wonder where the days have gone, but I will revel in having the time to slow down and enjoy every minute of them!