New

How special that September came in on a Sunday to provide a full week of the thrill of looking for change. Early in the month we start with a holiday and a four day week. Even if the 1894 recognition for a improving work conditions is not the focus idea, most people look on Labor Day as a chance for one more small trip, bar-b-que and watermelon, and a breather before settling in for an every week the same routine. We even dare to use the word FALL with a little optimism.

Theoretically, September is the first fall month, though that is difficult to prove. The average high temperature may – and may is the operative word – drop to the low 90’s before October comes. We live with the encouragement of daylight arriving later in the morning and dusk falling earlier in the evening. That’s because the Earth’s spinning on its tilting axis and orbiting the sun leads us every year to the Autumnal Equinox on September 22. If you live on the equator, day and night have equal time.

A mixed affirmation of look for something new is the browning of leaves to fall and collect in piles on lawns and under trees. To rake instead of mow is herald of a different season. However, hot, humid weather still greets mornings and the danger of a hurricane, or even two, lurks through the month. One recorded as late as November caused flooding in Big Bend Park in West Texas. In 1961 high winds and rain blew through on Labor Day and wiped out the underground water supply for Spring Branch delaying for a week and a half the real beginning of school.

All else aside, I consider September as the start of moving on instead of January. From families with offsprings to committed teachers, the 9th month is a new year. One is now a 5th grader instead of just a 4th. Friday night football along with profession teams begin thinking about a championship. Clothes, clubs, and school supplies need new as the adjective of choice. This month is a specific reminder of hope, change, and the repetitive circle of a year.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

Genesis 8:22