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Evie's avatar

I saw christmas decorations in a store last Friday. Can we enjoy September and October first please?

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S.E. Reid's avatar

Argh, I agree! I just love these months that don't have any "holidays" in them. They each have their own charms, and they're perfect for savoring, if you can avoid the mall. 😅

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Shauna K. Hunt's avatar

In September, I look forward to my wedding anniversary. I love preparing for it. We love to visit the farmers market, a few blocks from our house, on Wednesdays. We also try to attend the temple where we got married. It's a reminder of the covenants (vows) we made when we were married. It's a sacred experience and highlights the month!

We usually swing between 90* days and cool nights here in Utah. I look forward to eating the many varieties of winter squash available. My favorite is buttercup squash slathered with butter and local honey. Melts in my mouth!

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S.E. Reid's avatar

Oh, I love that, Shauna! Happy Anniversary to you! And oh my goodness, yes about the butternut squash. There's nothing quite like it.

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Sara Em's avatar

Here on the other side of the country in 100 degree weather, the cup of September still seems so far away. But the flowers have shifted from pinks to yellows and the first leaves are gathering on the sidewalks. I know the rest will follow 🧡

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S.E. Reid's avatar

It's coming! Don't lose hope! 😁

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S. L. Linton's avatar

I look forward to the apples and pumpkins that show up in our stores, though the pumpkin is later in the month. I usually start making pumpkin puree so we can have pumpkin soup in the winter. This year, I am going to try my hand at dehydrating apples. I also start looking at the world with a "spookier" frame of mind.

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S.E. Reid's avatar

I had never dehydrated apples until we moved here and I needed to find ways to use up our apples, and they're such a revelation! I can easily polish off way too many "apple chips" if I'm not careful. :D And the spookier frame of mind...I know what you mean. It's a mix of nostalgia and a recognition that there are things beyond us, all around us, that we don't understand. It's such a mystical time!

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Fred Goettl's avatar

Your prose is poetry. Wish I could do that.

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S.E. Reid's avatar

That's very kind of you, Johnny! Thank you for reading!

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Zoe Carada's avatar

September gives me more sense of planning, of a new start, than the New Year’s. In a way, focus, getting ready to start. And there’s also a sense of enjoyment every sunshine beam, as long as it’s still warm, being happy about each summery day we get.

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S.E. Reid's avatar

I find that I savor the summer days more in September, I agree. Knowing that they're in short supply makes me look at them differently.

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Brianna Morehead's avatar

Oh September. I too love it! We had a taste of cooler days last week but this week Summer is taking one last dance across the stage with 90 degree days.

To celebrate the shift to autumn, my mind turns to what I want to bake- bread, cookies and pie. I also start to use the oven more, roasting meat and veggies and making soup a regular item on our meal plan.

My drinks become more geared toward black tea and chai in addition to black coffee in the mornings. Candles burn more on the regular wafting scents of vanilla, pine or cinnamon. I've already created my fall TBR list and am excited to dive in but I have one last summer book to complete before I can start. It's my favorite time of year.

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S.E. Reid's avatar

It's funny you say that about the chai...originally the "cup of September" in this devotional was, in fact, me switching to chai tea! It just feels right: the spice of summer, the warmth of fall. Love it so much. And I agree about the shift toward baking and cooking more. I lose interest in cooking during the summer, a lot of the time, but it all comes tumbling back as soon as we get that first whiff of fall.

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Jocelyn Knight's avatar

A lovely and timely devotional. I always feel the need to pray more. Give thanks more. Be with family more. September 3rd is the anniversary of my mother’s death (2021), so a new urgency has come about. Better health. More 🍁

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S.E. Reid's avatar

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jocelyn. ❤ Autumn certainly puts me in a reflective and depth-seeking frame of mind. I agree with you: we could always pray more, give thanks more, be with family more. Well said.

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Tanya S.'s avatar

We are entering my absolute favorite time of the year where I get to celebrate my birthday and my wedding anniversary all in the same month. I am trying to live liturgically as possible therefore, I change my decore seasonally, bake & prepare menus around each season as well. My only wish is that this beautiful season of Autumn would last the longest! I’m in the PNW and unfortunately we seem to have an eternal Spring which I would gladly swap for an eternal Fall! ☺️🍁🍂

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S.E. Reid's avatar

Oh goodness, congratulations, and happy birthday!! Shauna was just saying that her anniversary is this month, too, in another comment. How wonderful! And yes, as a fellow PNW resident I agree: we could really do with a shorter spring and a longer autumn. And I say this as a huge fan of spring! It does overstay its welcome a bit, especially when it's...you know....June.....😅

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Tanya S.'s avatar

My month is October specifically. What I mean by an eternal spring (I'm speaking of SW WA area) It's the gray and rain for what 6 months at a time or more that gets me. Where I am, we may get snow for a week here or there, but the rain! It just goes on and on and on.. I'm in need of high desert living! ;)

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