Dear Fall Self at the start of September,

Welcome to the next chapter of your life. Unwritten but much anticipated, this month promises to be full of firsts and good intentions, some of which you will actually carry out.

You will mean to spend focused time with your family, despite a stack of homeschool–related work, and a desire to steal away for a few minutes every day to write in a quiet place.

You will purpose to actively lean in toward your husband, even though in the intensity of the new school year, you tend to abandon him (temporarily) while you care for everyone and everything else.

You will mean to exercise, and continue the habits you’ve built over the past months of quarantine, even though your free time has diminished by 90% with the start of the homeschool year.

You will succeed in many areas, just as you will fail in many, but never all at once. The successes will buoy you and the failures will remind you to spend time at the feet of Jesus, the anchor of your soul.

So decide right now to give yourself grace. When you don’t write for 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, you are not a wanna-be: you are a writer with a multi-faceted life.

When you say no (temporarily) to that eager face that wants to share with you what they’re learning, you’re still a loving mom who will make time for that very face in some other, more free, moment of the day.

When you don’t answer an email or text (or 12 of them), you might disappoint someone, but chances are, it’s another mom—one who is attempting the same juggling act you are—and she’ll probably understand.

When you climb into bed later than you intended, desperate for sleep and solitude, you will be reminded to extend grace to your husband in his seasons of high pressure.

Welcome to September. The new year is as fresh as this page, and full of hope, growth, and learning…for more than just the students.

With love and understanding,

Your Summer Self