Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Goodbye to Summer


Goodbye to Summer

In May the letters sat there, enervated and mute, awaiting our attention.  We scooped them, gathered them up one by one, like bouquets of perfect dahlias, arranging them carefully into the seasonal words we’ve loved for so long, words all the more evocative for the brevity they conveyed.  Honeysuckle.  Jasmine.  Watermelon.  Seaside. 
They are the words reserved for summer, and we anticipate the delight they bring us each year.

This summer, however, other hands were rummaging in the mountains of letters, seizing them in angry fistfuls, creating dark words that threatened to blot out the ones that we love.   Hateful words such as Ebola and ISIS.  Ferguson.  War. These rang in our ears with a leaden tone, bringing sorrow and fear with each reverberation.

In the past several weeks, I have stood at the edge of my country with my toes in the sand, looking far out to the Atlantic from the shores of both our northernmost east coast state and our southernmost.  On a white-washed afternoon in Maine, I stood on a shoreline dotted with lilac-coloured oyster shells and azure sea glass staring out past the ivory sails of tall schooners to the horizon beyond, knowing that, if only my eyes were magically stronger, I could watch as these same waters lapped up on the coastlines of France.  The same feeling came to me on the evening I walked along an empty Florida island beach as a setting sun turned the sky into a prismatic spectacle that was an utter privilege to behold.  As a salty wind whipped round me, I stopped to consider the darkening line betwixt sea and sky and wondered about the African eyes possibly staring back at me from across those very same seas.

It is clearer that ever to me that the world, once thought of as so vast and unknowable, is now so small and vitally interconnected.  Living in the city to which the two American Ebola victims were brought, and successfully treated, only served to illustrate how intertwined we all are.  Years ago, news of the horrors occurring in countries oceans away came to us weeks after the fact, if at all.  These days we know of them as they are happening.  The modern globe is a tiny one; we must accept.

September First has always seemed much more like New Year’s Day to me than the January one that bears the title.  So today I am waving goodbye to this summer that was with the  hope that, as I gather up fresh new letters to fashion the words for the season I love most - words such as Mittens and Firesides, Jack-o-Lanterns and Snow - I will find letters enough to spell out words for a new year's fresh start; words more eternal, more redemptive; words that remain unquestionable and true.
Justice and Peace. 
 Grace. 
 Hope.
  And Love.

Take a deep breath.
A new season beckons us all.

 Islesboro, Maine

13 comments:

  1. One must really concentrate on the moment and practice mindfulness to be happy these days. With all the wretched news and people suffering so much around the world, being grateful for what we have is the way to happiness. I feel fortunate to live here and often wonder why I was blessed. The happiness has to come from the simple things in life which are art, literature, nature......things that can't be taken away.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautifully written, as always. Your blog, your chosen images, your words never fail to strike a chord within me. Thank you for sharing! K in Colorado

    ReplyDelete
  3. Each one of us - our thoughts, our actions, our way of life - has a slight impact on the future. We must cling to that fact as we see the horrors perpetrated and the diseases which flourish in Third World countries. As Ginny says 'simple things' are there for the taking and must give us some peace. Beautifully written as always Pamela.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautuful..taking a deep breath at this very moment..there we go..

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like your choice of new words which are hope filled.I love the Scripture "And now these three remain:faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Words are powerful and I like your use of words for the seasons.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mindfulness. This is what Goldie Hawn is teaching to young people nowadays. Accept wonder in everything, especially the most simple, taken-for-granted things, like Mother Nature. We await Fall with open arms here in Texas as our summers are simply dreadful, and so it is again when we look up at the clear blue skies, watching the sun at a different angle, and knowing that holiday plans will soon be made. I love the way you describe your thoughts, it fills me with friendship for you and yours. Sending love.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. just love your choice of words in the final days of summer. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pamela,
    Your words are always a comfort and hold some optimism for the world around us, thank you for that. Fall always has been my favorite season and maybe with this season we can hope for better world news. Or, like your readers suggest, work on being mindful and thankful for each and every minute of each day.
    xo,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pamela while I truly enjoy every season and the glory it brings, Autumn is always my favorite, I cherish all that comes with it, the scents, the color palette the textures, warmth from the fireplace and a feel of coziness. Thank you for the words of glorious anticipation!

    Xoxo
    Karen
    The Arts by Karena

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is like saying goodbye to one friend, and hello to another. Seasons are such great comfortable friends.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How funny that you've been to Isleboro and I haven't. That's on my to visit list. You capture summer so well, and put it in context. I do worry about all those people in Africa suffering from Ebola.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A lovely post, Pamela, - it expresses beautifully the hope we all have as we embrace September and enter into the delights of Autumn.

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!