Where has summer gone?

The common filler phrase, “Where has the summer gone” is usually spoken as a rhetorical question. In blog retrospect, I want to reply to this typically unanswered question, with no exaggeration.

This is where my summer went...

Spring 2012 quickly moved into the summer fast lane in late May as I traveled the northern highway to my Godson’s high school graduation and later to his open house. In mid June I motored with my driver to Milwaukee, WI and witnessed the wedding of our daughter’s two college friends. Then on the last Saturday of June, in a Trellis garden wedding, my best friend’s daughter married her beloved. Truly, one of the best days of my life.

Early July, our rapid summer stride changed by the sudden death of my father-in-law, Myron. His spirit flowed from his favorite saying, “Ah-da-heck” and through a “life must go on” attitude as my family made tearful difficult decisions. Honoring those words, we altered calendar dates and made our annual summer cabin vacation on Lake Miltona still possible.

 A week later I packed a borrowed cowboy hat, my driver recalculated the GPS and I was on the road again to my first Country Jam experience in Eau Claire, WI. The blue bus shuttle provided excellent transportation as well as additional laughs and stories as I recalled school day memories. The hotel room was a welcome sight after a full day of country music in the Wisconsin great outdoors versus the bus view of tent camping.

During most Monday through Fridays of June - September I was employed by StayWell Health Management in St Paul.  StayWell has a long history with health management for large companies and their employees. It was a great opportunity to bring my healthcare experience into the health and wellness arena. Thanks to StayWell, I was able to learn much more about the delicate balance between healthcare and wellness in day to day application. I leaned on my real life patient-family healthcare past and brought the skills of previous lessons learned into a process improvement transition project for StayWell. That work just recently ended so I’m resting up for a new Be The Change opportunity! 

The crisp autumn mornings still have the radiance of an almost forgotten summer. Fall trips are planned and holiday conversations have started. From my perspective, each season seems to come and go more quickly especially as I travel a road paced soulfully by change. The events of the season, both happy and sad affect the pace and impact the direction of the path I travel next. So the real question might be; is it really the seasons that pass so quickly or is it the pace I choose? My choices, some more difficult than others, illustrate the answer.

Similar to the changes in life, a leaf once vibrant green changes into red, yellow, or hints of both and covers the color of yesterday’s season. It rests in the quiet of winter, trusts in the spring renew of tomorrow and prepares for another busy summer ahead.

Each one different yet collectively intertwined, divinely created and placed on a road to  Be The Change for someone.