September Smiles

Poor August, there's just not a lot you can say that's very nice about its presence in the summer lineup. There's stale air, excessive heat and humidity, and no holiday to break up the monotony. Then comes September. Just hearing its name evokes images of cooler weather, changing leaves, bonfires, football games, marching bands, pennant fever for a few lucky baseball teams, and the beginning of school for those of us who liked to go.

And speaking of pennant fever...just to keep you updated, the Braves are still in first and are beating the Mets again tonight. There are 29 games left and fans are daring to believe the magic could be back in the ATL again.

In keeping with the theme, I wanted to share a few of the things that have made my heart smile in the last few days.

~Pets - Tiffany started class last night in the new adventure she's embarking on of getting her master's degree in counseling. Nikki gave her a balloon to mark the occasion and Ellie the wonder cat decided it was her new toy. I've seen her before with one and she'll take the string in her mouth and walk it around the room like she's walking a pet. It's really quite funny and had Tiffany in hysterics as she watched Ellie. She took a couple of pictures, but so far I've only seen this one and it makes me laugh out loud every time I see it.

~Memories - Hamp and I went for a walk the other day around the track of what used to be my old high school. I spent many hours in that track area as a drill team member during football season and a soccer fan in the spring. As we passed the far corner near the scoreboard, I remembered when we had our pre-season pictures taken for drill team at that same spot. In scanning some pictures earlier today I came across it and while there is proof othewise, I couldn't help but think that it feels like yesterday when it was taken.

~Pictures - I suppose this could fall into the category of memories too, but having pictures that have documented our lives is a gift I take for granted often. I was the obnoxious mom that always had her camera pointed at the latest happening, but now those same pictures remind us of connections from days gone by. Here are a few I came across as I was scanning some to save.

When they were around five and six years old, Tiffany and Jack were in a wedding together as the flower girl and ring bearer. The photographer captured this shot and it's one of my favorites. I love the typical girl/boy differences that each of them is showing.

I think I've shared this one of Tiffany we had taken when she was three months old. She was a "healthy" baby and did all of her growing early!

Then I found this one of me when I was two months old and realized we actually look more alike than I thought we did.

~Changes - Just thinking about a new season underscores the approach of a change coming. I don't think I'm as afraid of change as I used to be, but it's still not something I lean into. If things never changed, however, we would miss the new adventure, the new friend, or the beauty that can only come with eyes wide open to now. Without change, I would have only seen this

and would never have seen this.