How can the end of something beautiful also be the start of something exciting, enlightening, enriching, and enticing?

Ask a kid going back to school.

By the end of the year, they are dying to be finished. The weather is warm, the sun is shining the birds are singing, and no-one is thinking about school work. But, by the end of the summer, when the heat begins to break, and a sweatshirt can be comfortably snuggled into in the evening; when AC units give way to open windows and kids start making plans for the coming school year – you can be sure Summer has begun its serenade.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says [God] “has made everything beautiful in its time.” When each session of our life ends, we can look forward to something beautiful in the future.
How amazing is that! It’s like a million-course meal where each new dish is replaced by another. Some may taste better than others, but we are never forced to eat the same one forever. There is always change, and change can be beautiful.

If you had asked my kids at the end of June if they were looking forward to September and the start of school – you would have been met by an array of gaggy coughy sounds, rolled eyes, and loud exhales. Now, at the end of August, they are excited to see their schedules, pick out school supplies, coordinate outfits, and organize their desks. They weren’t ready in June, but – in the right time – they are now.

May you enjoy the waning days of summer and have a blessed year.