September sunshine is my favorite

On chasing sunsets, thin places and books whose time has come

My husband owns and runs a small ag-related business so free days for summer play are at a premium. Our best options for summer vacation days are centered around the holidays — Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. In July we managed to squeeze in a family getaway to a nearby state park with three of our four adult offspring and the two grandkids. It was great! With that victory under our belts, my husband and I gambled that Labor Day would be a good time (and maybe our last chance) to feed my passion for summer sunsets over Lake Michigan.

So did half the population of northern Indiana and southwest Michigan.

On our chosen “vacation” day, we spent a couple of hours antiquing and eating ice cream in beautiful Three Oaks, Michigan before hopping on the Red Arrow Highway. This curvy country road carries beach-seekers parallel to the communities dotting the lakeshore. Our sights were set on Weko Beach at Bridgman. Weko is one of many little beaches on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan and it’s a favorite.

This gorgeous sunset photo was taken at Weko Beach — in 2022. This year, we arrived to find the Weko Beach parking lot full and the access road clogged with folks walking to the beach. We were disappointed but not deterred. With keen determination and the help of Google maps, we spent the rest of our vacation day chasing the sunset down the coast, on the hunt for an accessible patch of sand that would deliver a “pot of gold.” No such luck. Every parking lot was full. We drove past lines of other sunset-seekers making the trek through lakeshore neighborhoods with coolers and beach chairs in tow. We could join them, but as we fought the crowd leading to the New Buffalo beach (our fourth beach target) our zeal dissipated.

So, we tucked in at a little Middle Eastern cafe to drown our sorrows in naan and spicy rice dishes. As evening approached and we turned east off the Red Arrow and onto a state highway, we caught sight of the sun dipping over West Michigan bean fields. I could only imagine it plopping into Lake Michigan in a blaze of glory.

Surely there is still time for more beautiful Lake Michigan sunsets in September. I’m not giving up.

What is it about September sunshine? Two days before our aborted sunset adventure I sat in one of my favorite “thin” places — our front porch — and while there I caught this image of the sun preparing to slide into the western horizon behind our farm. I think I love sunsets over water because we live in a valley where the evening sun slips into a green hillside before it catches fire. In the moments before I took this photo, I had been holding grief over the tragic death of a young relative. Our daughter-in-law’s brother was killed in an auto accident after he fell asleep at the wheel. He was just 27. We spent the first day of September celebrating his short life with his family and friends. I posted this photo on social media that evening, along with these thoughts:

September sunshine is my favorite, especially in the evening. Golden rays sliding across our lawn and shimmering thru the leaves of a favorite maple tree urge me to pause and take them in. It’s been an emotional day, this first day of September. How do we celebrate a life cut short? How do we lay to rest a young soul who still had so much love to give? Music, scripture, prayers, memories, photos — so many photos. And tears. Do 27 years add up to a lifetime? When a life ends suddenly, tragically, it makes no sense. But neither do seasons that come and go. And love that covers and binds and, someday, heals. A young man met his Savior on a dark highway in late summer. Today he was ushered home in September sunshine. Today, we witnessed grief with those who loved him most. Tonight, I thank God for beauty that reminds me our young friend is walking into September sunshine. It doesn’t change a thing, but for him, it changes everything.

Have you found a ‘thin place’?

Though you may not have heard the term, it’s possible you’ve experienced your own thin place. Put simply, it is a location or moment in which our sense of God’s presence is more pronounced. It can be a favorite chair in your dwelling place (my porch), a quiet spot in the natural world (a deserted Lake Michigan beach) or an inspiring space for solitude and prayer (an ancient cathedral). The phrase has been used for centuries and comes to us from the spiritual legacy of Celtic Christians, who were deeply connected to the natural world and considered every aspect of life to be infused with the presence of the God — even the ordinary elements of everyday life. With a strong attachment to my Scottish ancestry, I am drawn to the spirituality of the early Celts, natives of mostly Scotland, Ireland and Whales. I am grateful to them for inspiring in me an awareness of our natural world’s thin places.

The right book at the right time

Sometimes I’ll buy a book intending to add it to my current reading stack then decide “not yet” or “maybe later.” Often, months go by before I crack open that book that’s been languishing on the shelf, only to find that NOW is the time I was meant to enjoy it. Such is the case with my friend Christie Purifoy’s beautiful book A Home in Bloom: Four Enchanted Seasons with Flowers.

It’s September and we’re beginning construction on the addition of a much needed first floor master suite. As I poured over the plans and considered the landscaping possibilities, I remembered Christie’s beautiful book. Imagine my delight recently when I found that the first season she explores is autumn — the month of September, to be exact.

“Autumn, it turns out, is the very best time of the year for planting. If we plant in autumn, then we spend winter nurturing the garden’s greatest gift: hope.” ~ Christie Purifoy

I can’t begin planting the flower garden of my dreams while construction is underway, but at Christie’s urging, I’m starting spring bulbs in containers indoors with plans to nurture them over the winter to enjoy in the spring. And, I’m filling a pot of soil with zinnia seeds for a last burst of color this autumn, hoping I can enjoy them inside during winter. I’ll also order next year’s garden catalogues so that while the walls go up and I work away at painting and decorating our new space, I can begin choosing the dahlias, hydrangeas, grasses and other lovely perennials to plant in the spring.

About that novel…

I’ve invited you to follow along as I write my first ever novel. While I wrote many stories as a whimsical adolescent, I’ve only tackled journalism and creative non-fiction as an adult. But, a story spanning three generations has been simmering in my head and heart for at least five years. Finally, I’ve given myself time to actually write it. As I peck away, I’ve set a goal of writing 50,000 words by the end of the year. I’m already halfway there and hope to push through to my goal by signing up for NaNoWriMo. For the non-writers among us, November is National Novel Writing Month. Participants accept the challenge to set a word count goal and meet it. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, but I’ll share more when I’m in the thick of it.

In the meantime, I’m letting you in on the inspiration for two key characters from the novel. Ruby and Warren Rivers meet and marry in the 1920s and live for a time in Detroit. Warren is Canadian whose parents emigrated to North America from Scotland. Ruby and Warren are modeled after my own paternal grandparents. Because of my father’s interest in his Scottish/Canadian heritage, we traveled with my parents and our two youngest children 16 years ago to reunite with his cousins in London, Canada. I write about that adventure in the little book of Dad’s memories entitled One Man’s Work. (Request a copy and I’ll happily oblige.)

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