The Final Countdown

Tomorrow is the worst day of the year for me. Not August 31st specifically, but what it represents this year. It's the first day of school. Just seeing that makes me want to scream. And yank my hair out. And throw a temper tantrum that could rival a 3 year old in Target that just spotted their dream toy back in stock while mom/dad/grandma said NO.

Summer, while still busy, is a much slower pace. I think I have only set an alarm one time this summer. One. And that's because we were leaving to go out of town for a wedding and had to be on the road by 9:00 AM with 1/2 of us fully dressed for the occasion.

Summer doesn't have homework, projects, tests, or assigned reading. It is void of packing lunches the night before and having to put on real clothes on a daily basis. Truth be told, if we were staying home for the day, it was shower then put your pj's back on because momma wasn't adding laundry to the pile without cause. And when a lot of the summer is (typically) spent at the pool, all you really wear is a bathing suit anyway.

But now it's back to business. Getting to bed on-time, studying, finishing homework, checking homework when necessary, activities, volunteering, and so much more. Too much more.

Don't get me wrong, there are some advantages. Like cleaning. Cleaning when I'm home alone with loud music and no one making any kind of mess within 2 seconds of compleetion is plenty to celebrate. And with no x-box controller noise endlessly clicking I won't feel violent. And of course there is the ability to read something that requires concentration that won't be interrupted 17 times in 3 sentences. But no matter how many pros you can write, the biggest con still exists: My babies are away from me for 7 hours a day.

If the Target seasonal section and its clearance prices are any indication, you've probably been back to school for at least a week already. I'm sorry. You are already living the nightmare dream. And while I'm typically not one to rush the seasons, my hope was found when I saw Thankgsgiving Cards in the card section and Halloween and Thanksgiving in the Dollar Spot. Why? Because before we've even begun, I'm ready for break. Like tomorrow.

But there are two bright spots to all of this. First, once school is back in, Bible Study is back on. And I miss the ladies I get to do life with on Friday mornings throughout the school year something fierce when we're on break. And second, and this might be my favorite, my husband's day off during the week means 7 hours just for us. Like, we can eat together while food is hot and have a grown up conversation or watch a movie without it feeling like a game of Twenty Questions. That is pretty nice.

It seems like the summer to fall transition is really the last day of August into the first day of September regardless of the fact that it technically lasts another 20 days. So rather than lamenting the closing of pools and the loss of white shoes until Memorial Day, let's take the approaching season to Fall in Love With Jesus all over again. Let's look at the soon to change leaves and watch God paint pictures outside our windows to remind us that the water He gave them through the spring and summer is bursting forth in brilliance before our very eyes. And maybe, just maybe, a renewed sense of awe in who He is will remind us that even though seasons change He never does.