I haven't had a humdrum day in quite a while, but this one's got me down. Grey, end of August, leaves just hinting at turning, the garden almost finished. I like fall, but today is a day in no-one's land, not really summery, not really autumn, just...rain. It's also a day when I am thinking about the tests in people's lives: my sister, Andrea, just diagnosed with West Nile disease, another friend, Craig Farnsworth, coping, along with his wife Susanne Alexander, with cancer (and sharing the journey in a very public manner in his blog)...

We have lots to be thankful for, not the least of which visits from an old friend, Don Todd, and one coming up, Mark Visocky, home on leave from his posting in Malawi. My sister Laurel happily has a new job and is moving to the Vancouver region to take it up. My parents spent some time at Sylvan Lake Baha'i School (in Alberta, for those who don't know) this summer along with 15 grandchildren (well, technically 13 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren) which Mom said was pretty delightful. Perhaps my sister Coral will soon send me some pictures of that event so that I may share them. Dad mentioned that the gathered friends asked for some stories, and that he and Mom were able to oblige on a couple of evenings with pioneer stories from their almost three decades in Belize.

Maybe it's just because this summer has been such a marvellous one, with great times with our kids, our pilgrimage, the release of my second book, and relaxing times at home. There's always a little reflection, for me, as the seasons change, but we live in a place in the world where the leaves become the annual Ottawa-Gatineau "Fall Rhapsody" and the winter can be relatively gentle.

Wishing you joy and lovely meditations as dusk falls here in the Valley.