Maybe it's my birth sign.....maybe it's birth order, but I feel too sentimental about too many things in life. I always have and most likely, I always will.
 
For instance. There is only one more week left of the pool season. Our neighborhood pool closes after Labor Day weekend. For me, the closing of the pool marks the end of blissful lazy summer days, even though summer is offically over on September 21. This last week of lying by the pool in the late afternoon, until it's time to fix dinner,  is one of the hardest weeks of the year for me.
 
Yes, I love the changing seasons of the midwest. Yes, Fall is probably my favorite season because of it's breathtaking beauty and cool temperatures. I love the chill in the air with its hints of holidays not too far behind. For runners, such as I, Fall is probably the ideal because of the lack of humidity.  Add to that, the surrounding trees are decked out in an  array of golds, reds and oranges for  onlookers to admire. Nature just doesn't get much better than that!
 
So, what's the problem? Why am I feeling sentimental and slightly sad about summer coming to an end?
 
One of the main reasons is because I find of all the seasons, Summer is the most relaxing and stress free. Children that attend school are out of school which means no homework...which relieves parents of their obligatory duties to remind (nag) kids to do their homework  and to help with homework that they really don't understand half of the time anyway. For me summer is a time where attending meetings slows down.....meetings at church, meetings at school, and meetings to discuss future meetings! With kids in school there are the mandatory school functions, mainly extra meetings, and  also various sports to watch along with teacher/parent meetings (more meetings.) If you haven't noticed, schools steal lots of time from parents and families in general. On a more positive and upbeat note, I enjoy  having ALL of my kids home during the summer time.....and not just my homeschooled ones. It's enjoyable to see them throughout the day instead of at the end of the day only. It's nice that the kids are more free to stay up later and then can sleep in the next morning.
 
Overall, I do find Summer to be the most relaxing, most stressfree and most fun. Heck, even the one holiday that's celebrated during the summer is simply a "blast!"  4th of July is strictly fun, with very little preparation and minimum cost.....but there is something deeper that bothers me about the end of summer. Not only is the end of summer, the end of carefree, do nothing minutes,  basking in the sun,  playing in the backyard or reading your favorite book for hours.....without a care in the world....it's the end of the season in which I looked forward to completing incompleted projects, books, household deep cleaning and fun little city trips with the kids. It seems like every summer I dream of doing things that I never end up doing....or at least not as much as I would like to. From afar, summer always appears to be so promising of extra time to complete activites or to start activities that never happen throughout the "school" year......and yet, at the end of each summer, my list still cries for  attention simply because the summer is always busier than I think it's going to be. So I hold onto my "list" with the good intentions of completing it the next summer.

At the end of summer, I also mourn the realization that the way my children are now, will no longer exist that way by the next summer. One summer my two youngest  boys are begging me to take them to the pool and by the next summer they are indifferent to my presence at the pool. One summer they are yelling, "Look Mommy, watch me dive off the diving board!" The next summer they dive without asking me to watch. One summer they are giggling and begging me to drive to the nearest fireworks tent for purchases. The next summer they are either not excited or are containing their love of fourth of July within so as not to appear too eager since they are no longer "little" boys. One summer they can't wait to start swim practice, the next summer they complain of the cold water. You've got the idea...the list goes on.

That is part of the cycle of life and it repeats itself not only every summer, but every season of the year. For some reason, summer reminds me more acutely of this constant cycle of birth and death within my children as well as the uncontrollable transformations they go through as they grow and mature into adulthood. It's always at the end of the summer season where I question myself and my use of the precious time I have with my kids. At times, I smile because of the fun and memorable summer memories. At other times, I quietly and inwardly cry at my failures to make the best of what limited time God has blessed me with. My children are only kids for such a short season....