Write Team: September fills us, especially this one

“September has always been my favorite month, and now even more so, since you don’t have to go back to school ever!” So said my husband the fall we got married. I had worked on the farm with him the two summers before that, then went back to college each year to complete my degree.

September is indeed a special month, isn’t it? Don’t you love the bright, dry days when the blue sky speaks of forever and the air is fresh and kind after summer’s humidity has worn us down? Even the cloudy days are profoundly peaceful and comforting, as crickets trill contemplatively and there is a wistful, cozy feel.

The crops are ripening as summer’s sun and rain have filled them. We are surrounded by bounty and beauty.

Somehow this season gets me reflecting, not exactly nostalgically, but deeply, on the arc of our lives on this land, of family members long gone but whose legacy lingers on, of the young folks unfolding and building their unique stories that will carry on where we cannot now see.

OK, I have reached a milestone, you might say. Now that my youngest has married, just a few weeks ago, I am officially in a new era.

Her eldest brother walked her down the aisle in the place of her father, the second brother gave the father’s speech at the reception, and the third brother did the father-of-the-bride dance with her. Her older sister was a marvelously supportive matron of honor.

So yes, there’ve been some emotions and reminiscences, and we’ve all missed their dad, even while sharing deep gratitude for all that he left behind.

We started married life 41 years ago in this family home where my husband had been living with his widowed mother. Over the next several years God blessed us, and our family multiplied until there were eight people living in this house (with one bathroom, imagine that). Come to think of it, we were never “just the two of us,” because when Grandma died nine months before my husband did, we still had all the children at home.

Now I have the house to myself, but I’m hardly lonesome. Even after my “one and only” passed on, I never felt truly alone, because the One who drew us together and guided our marriage is still with me, as Jesus is with His people everywhere, ineffably but truly.

I know many of you have faced being widowed and certainly other losses of loved ones or relationships. We don’t want to live in the past, do we, but we are enriched by it.

On another note, you might think that with my husband gone I would feel sad or left out when I see married couples enjoying one another’s affection. On the contrary, it gives me great satisfaction to see their love and appreciation for each other thriving. As the pastor said at my daughter’s wedding, marriage is about so much more than just these two people.

Such are some of my September thoughts. I hope yours are rich and rewarding, also. Keep looking up, my friends!

Winifred Hoffman, of Earlville is a farmer, breeder of dual-purpose cattle and a student of life. She can be reached at newsroom@mywebtimes.com .