The first month of the calendar year always seems to draw reflection and represent new beginnings for all, and rightfully so. Whether you believe in making New Year’s resolutions, starting a new diet, or creating #goals or not, there is something quite inspiring about the month of January.

February through August, we are all fighting to either keep those resolutions, stay on our new diet, find ways to meet those goals, or have given up altogether. We fight the cold weather and the colds that go along with it; battle the heat of the summer and greet the hay fever blues.

And then it happens. Every single year it happens. Sweet September. The remarkable month of do-over, and the onset of Autumn. Oh, I know for most people it’s just another month, but for The Fam and me, this is the “other January”.

It is the month of controversy most certainly! This is the month people start to ask, “how early is too early to put up fall decorations?” or “we’re starting pumpkin spice everything already?” But not for us. Oh noooooo. We already know the answers to those intolerable questions! It’s NEVER too early, and pumpkin spice everything should be year-round!

September is the beginning of the best season in my family! We know Fall Family Day awaits; that Thanksgiving - THE most important holiday for us - is right around the corner; that the RenFest will be there to greet us as we enter the gates, ready to embark upon imagination and excitement in yet another day we assemble as a crest.

September is the forgiving month of old resolutions to fresh perspective! Gone are all the grumblings of yesteryear, and present is the arrival of seasonal smiles and joy in our surroundings. Grill marks change to roasted hues with intense aroma filling the house. Brights, be gone! It’s shades of gold and warm tones coming our way! Scarves of plaid and wide-brimmed hats for all, thank you very much! In-coming are the sights and sounds of hayrides, pumpkin patches, warm breezes, and giving thanks! Celebration for what’s to come begins to rise up in our very souls!

Yes, like a woman-with-child we wait for the ninth month to arrive, knowing full well it will give birth to our seasonal baby. We treat it intentionally, and with tender-loving-care. We collaborate our design for the remaining months of the calendar year as though our lives depend on it.

Up we go into the attic, and down comes the perennial leaves and plastic gourds. Sure, October may mean a skeleton or two coming out of the closet, but that is in accordance with what we have already displayed for our celebration of what is essentially our New Year!

September is crucial! It is essentially the month that starts the traverse to December, which harbors its own celebration. Without September, we would have no gracious entrance into Autumm. We would crash over into October from August without any finesse, like a belly flop into an empty pool.

September also gives us pause. It is a time of reflection and insight. Like a fall harvest, it is when we feel the most growth, individually and as a family. It is when we cultivate our connection and build our bond with intense purpose. It is the sound of the great love we share for one another at another octave.

Whatever time of year, be sure to create a season for your own growth and intention so that you appreciate the blessings you’re surrounded with. For us, that’s September.

We are ever-so-grateful this month comes around annually. It is “the other January”, but with a bigger and better expression and nostalgia. It is a newer beginning.

Yes. September holds the key that unlocks the door to one of the greatest years of our lives. Every year.