There comes a moment every year when I go out in the morning and sense the transition from summer to autumn.  Wherever I have lived, this has been somewhere during August, and dependent on latitude and the weather that year, it may be earlier or later in the month.

Today was that day.  The subtle shift in the light to a more gentle, more golden hue; the first fall leaves and the tiniest hint of gold among the green, the feeling that another season has passed by under heaven...

I've always noticed it, and maybe now I notice it all the more, with the significance August/September plays in my personal calendar. Two years tomorrow since the discovery that would, by the end of the month, change my world permanently... a time to celebrate (ha, I beat it, I'm still here, still well, still NED), a time to remember (how I was sooo terrified, the friends I have made (and lost) since then) a time to be grateful to the God who gives us the rhythm of the seasons, and shares the everyday with us.

I try not to bore everyone with what, for them, is now ancient history.

I aim to live life fully and vigorously, savouring the moments, delighting in its diversity.

But it is a scientific fact that the brightest days are those when the clearest shadows are cast... Every new August is both a celebration and a reminder: bright sunshine creates sharp shadows. 

I make no apologies (except to those it makes cry) for yet again posting this lovely John Glynn hymn...

I watch the sunrise lighting the sky,
casting its shadows near.
And on this morning, bright though it be,
I feel those shadows near me.
    But you are always close to me,
    following all my ways.
    May I be always close to you,
    following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the sunlight shine through the clouds,
warming the earth below.
And at the mid-day, life seems to say:
'I feel your brightness near me.'
    For you are always close to me,
    following all my ways.
    May I be always close to you,
    following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the sunset fading away,
lighting the clouds with sleep.
And as the evening closes its eyes,
I feel your presence near me.
    For you are always close to me,
    following all my ways.
    May I be always close to you,
    following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the moonlight guarding the night,
waiting till morning comes.
The air is silent, earth is at rest-
only your peace is near me.
    Yes, you are always close to me,
    following all my ways.
    May I be always close to you,
    following all your ways, Lord.

John Glynn (b. 1948) © 1976 Kevin Mayhew Ltd