“And I knew that the Spirit that had gone forth to shape the world and make it live was still alive in it. I just had no doubt. I could see that I lived in the created world, and it was still being created.”
~ Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow
September things that made me happy:
Climbing a paint ladder to get an apple off the tree
Sunday evening hymn sing and homemade blackberry ice cream afterward
Papa Jay singing “Because He Lives” on stage with all the glory of his quartet days
Indian Camp Creek
Jared, surprising me
Water guns and dirt banks and thigh-high creek water and big sycamores leaning over the rocks
Sugarfire barbeque
Needing a blanket for early morning Bible study outside
A picnic at Papa’s pond with a tablecloth, chicken salad, kombucha, books, and a perfect breeze in the high trees
Making sourdough pancakes
Joel’s new house on 8th, which is actually old; scraping floors and tearing out a wall, and how he’s loving it into something better
Listening to Harry Potter as I fall asleep
Papa in his rocker on his 88th birthday, and reading aloud the poem I wrote for him
Labor Day meal and Mom’s blueberry pie afterward
Molly showing me her baby’s nursery, which is yellow with sunflowers
Running in the cool, early morning and seeing Papa Jay sweeping the porch in a sweater, the screens open
Digging out my tartan plaid button-down
A local Celtic Festival with Janaya: a glorious array of dance, music, sword fighting, sheepdogs, bagpipes, and scones
Driving past the high school on a Friday to see football practice
Lavender espresso with honey, sharp winds, and watching the trains
The first Wednesday night meal at church
Lunch and chalk pictures with Barrett on the front porch
Friday night backyard football with the crew of neighbor boys, also known as “tackle-the-guy-with-the-ball”
My sunflower “tree”
Shooting my bow
Playing four square on the slab behind church with the kids from the apartments
The cashier at Schnuck’s who was reading a Christopher Paolini book, and talking about Aragon and Lord of the Rings while he checked out my groceries
Our neighbor bringing a butternut squash to our door; making soup with it
Lunch with Mindy
Planting fall lettuce with Barrett’s help, dirt under his little nails
The first volleyball game of the season
Field trip to the farm; Hudson wearing a hat and boots and swinging from the rope in the hay loft
A long and beautiful letter from a faraway friend
The sun rising on the first morning of autumn, burning amber through the mist
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