A September Farewell: Celebrating the Last Day of Summer

A road like brown ribbon, a sky that is blue, a forest of green with the sun peeping through. Asters deep purple, a grasshopper’s call. Today it is summer, tomorrow is fall. —Helen Hunt Jackson

Every year, since my girls were little, we’ve had a special tradition. On the last day of summer, we gather together and recite a poem that has become our way of saying goodbye to the season. Some years, when life got busy, they’d be the ones to remind me, making sure we never missed this small, yet meaningful ritual. It's always been our little celebration of summer's warmth and the gentle shift into fall. (This year September 22nd marks the last day of Summer).

One year, my youngest daughter was on a missionary assignment in Canada during Covid. Despite the distance, she called me, and we recited the poem together over the phone. Even thousands of miles away, it felt like we were connected by more than just words. This tradition, now woven into our family’s story, reminds me of the enduring bond we share, no matter how far we are from each other or how much time has passed.