Thoughts Along the Path . . .

I am writing this the day after this year’s final Music in the Park evening. Fun and joyful as it was, I am having a hard time accepting that this summer series has ended. Does this mean that summer has ended? Where did it go? Just because the calendar says September - does that mean we suddenly shift from summer to fall? As much as I love autumn, I’m in no hurry for it to arrive.

I am now thinking about what else happens in September. The most obvious event is back-to-school. Even if we haven’t been in the school system for many years, don’t have family members who are, and don’t work in it, this is back-to-school time for most of us.

Curious to learn what other people think about September, I asked a few friends for their ideas. Most mentioned the shift in the weather and the days getting shorter, though what it meant to them varied a lot.

One person pointed out that since it is no longer high season for travel, she plans trips for September. Similarly, many activities that have been on summer break are restarting this month. The local Garden Club is an example, though there are more.

Another person reminded me about the opening of the hockey season. I’m sure lots of people will agree with him, though some are not happy about the end of the baseball season. Here is a situation where seeing something as good or bad depends on the person’s own preferences.

September is harvest time for many locally grown crops. Along with this goes annual practices such as home canning, pickling, or other ways to preserve seasonal produce. Plus we are fortunate to be near several fall fairs, which are enjoyable, too.

Here in North Dumfries, we have a shift in our own local activities. Music in the Park having ended, we’re now in the last few weeks of the Ayr Farmers Market. On the other hand, we have been looking forward to the first-ever “Community Showcase” event on Saturday September 13. Although by the time this is in the Ayr News is will be over with, I’ll still mention that the entire afternoon has been designed and organized for sharing arts, music, sports, community, diversity, and creativity along with good food and entertainment, With enough support this year the event can grow even stronger in the coming years.

And let’s not forget the annual Terry Fox Walk/Run. I’ve written about this extraordinary day more than once over the past few years, and we all know about Terry Fox and ongoing efforts to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Perhaps less well known is the annual observance of Ayr Cemetery Day. Similar to the Showcase event, both of these will have already taken place by the time this appears in the newspaper. We can all watch for them next year.

As I look at my own calendar I see good times ahead. Fall pop-up programs are starting again. Thanksgiving is just a month from now. Autumn leaves are always a joy to see. Hiking, cycling, boating, disk golf – these are among the ways we can play outdoors this month and into the fall.

With all of this in mind, here is a question for you from the Baha’i Writings: “If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?”

In closing, I wish you a pleasant September. And next time you have nothing better to do, you might search for why the ninth month of our calendar year is named for the Latin word Septembis with the prefix “sept” being the word for “seven.” You will find a good story in there somewhere.

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Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer September 2025