September Rainbows

For as long as I remember Septembers have always been warm, loving, fun, and nostalgic. September serving as the chapter to end the lazy summer days and the beginning of pumpkin spice everything with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas just a peek a way. A month all on its own with the holiday of Labor Day, as well as a time for birthday celebrations. I can recall getting ready for another school year as a little girl, as well as looking forward to new school supplies, new school clothes, and returning to old friends left behind on the last day of school. I've always loved Septembers, Septembers signaling in a new season, change, a shift in the wind, goodbye to summers, welcoming in cooler temperatures with a sense of calmness and ease as the year spirals down.

I look back at the past Septembers of my life and I always smile at the memories. My first day of school was in September. I can remember everything leading up to my first day of Kindergarten those first few days in September. A huge monumental day in my life. Unfortunately, my eagerness to start start school was blocked by the rules and regulations of a school board. My age was a concern for at the time you had to be 5 to start kindergarten and on the first day of school I would still technically be 4 years of age. My birthday lands on the 13th, so although I was days shy of 5, the school would not allow me to enroll. Thankfully, my mother knew better and knew that a few days should not exclude me from an entire year of learning, experiencing, and developing with other kids in my age group. My thirst for learning was early on. She knew this and I knew this. My mother knew I was ready for school. Taking no for an answer was not an option, my mother wrote a letter to the school board pleading my 4 year old case and fate would determine the next 12 years of my educational life. We would wait. I remember my mother telling me we would hear a response by mail. Back in a time where communication was done primarily by mail. So everyday for weeks we waited, checking the mail daily for a response from the schoolboard. Eagerly awaiting for the postman to deliver my answer. I remember the day the letter came in. Be still my heart. My mother and I sat with the letter and I couldn't wait for her to open it. As she read the letter to me- she said- Well Erica get ready to start school! I can recall the feelings of excitement and joy. A fulfilling memory of triumph and happiness. My mother fighting for me, going above and beyond for little four year old me.

Septembers are and have always been very special to me with my first day of school being the most heart warming memory in my life. I can remember my new school dress, my Holly Hobby Lunch box, and my brand new shoes. Those school days are long gone but the memories live alive and well. A rainbow in my Heart.

Septembers these days are filled with nostalgia and the signs of seasons changing. The older I get, a deeper sense of gratitude over takes me with thoughts of a life well lived. Experienced with friends, loved ones, and stories for a lifetime To be 47 is a blessing for most. To be healthy, strong, to have a family, a marriage, and a passionate career. Gratitude washes over me. September is my birth month and I can recall the simplest of birthday parties as a child, usually a cake, a piñata, and my close cousins by my side. The best birthday ever. Today, I enjoy the same simplicity, usually a night with my husband and sons or lunch with close girlfriends. Most importantly I'm always grateful for another year to live, to breathe, and to experience life in all its richness. Septembers always bring about a time of reflection of the previous year lived with thoughts of the future and plans to come. Reflection in the form of blessings, memories, pictures, learning experiences, and personal growth always brings me to a place of gratitude. Nothing is sweeter than a life filled with intentional moments and curiosity.

This September the 13th, we spent walking on the beach, hiking trails, and birdwatching. We traveled to the ocean front town of Rockport, Texas and ended up on my husbands family farm. We walked, enjoyed the property, rode around on an ATV, watched the cleaning of fresh caught fish, set up a hog trap, and collected fresh chicken eggs. A pure delight to my heart. Time with family, taking in the history and earthly richness of my husbands childhood family home.

Rainbows have always been breathtaking to me. A reminder of the natural gifts from Heaven above that surround us all. The surreal feeling of looking into the sky and seeing an array of colors, brightly glowing for all to see.

Our beautiful environment, the earth, the stars, the sky, and all the natural surroundings that give us life. All just awaiting for our recognition, our attention and pleasure. This September a Rainbow kissed my Heart, reminding me of how colorful life has been and continues to be. September Rainbows. Some of the best gifts in life are truly free.