Time for a new season

I woke up yesterday with a feeling of Autumn in the air. I am not sure if it
was the weather {cold, wet, grey} or the fact we went ‘back to school’ shopping the day before. But it felt like Autumn. I love the summer, sunshine and blue skies, bare feet, and swimming in the river.

Yet there is something about that first hint of Autumn that always gets me.
Maybe it is something to do with years of the school year starting in September that makes this time of year speak of new beginnings to me.

I love those slightly chilly mornings, wrapping up in a blanket, sitting on
the step with my morning tea. The grass damp with dew and the birds singing their morning song.

The feeling of the night’s drawing in, and all the promise that holds –
fires and fairy lights, cosy Autumn evenings and warming food.

I love the changing seasons, the feeling of newness and a chance to start
again. Never sad to see one-chapter end, but instead grateful for all that has
been and all that is coming.

This September feels extra poignant. I have two kids starting college. One
moving on from school, the other going for the first formal education in her 14 years. After five months of us all being home together during lockdown, these changes are going to be even more noticeable.

I have loved this extra time together, revelled in the freedom to shape our
days free of time constraints. Grateful for the extra time I got to spend with
my children, especially the oldest two as they are about to embark on these new chapters of their lives.

They are growing so fast, moving onwards at a frightening speed. Those days of three little girls playing schools and dolls are long gone. They have grown into beautiful young women who have their own interests and are following their own paths. Proof that there is no ‘one size to fit all’. It’s nice to see progression after years of home educating – my eldest walked away with several A*’s, A’s, Bs and Cs for her GCSES.

As they go off on their own paths and embrace the change and new starts that September promises, I find myself feeling that pull of a fresh start. The chance to put my hopes and dreams back on the table, a time to start new things, and make some changes for me too.

I have spent so many years simply being ‘Mama’, hiding behind the mask of motherhood rather than being brave enough to pursue my own goals. Now is the time to move forwards, to put plans into action and change my own season.