Labor Day Reflections | Saying Goodbye to Summer, Hello Fall
There’s something about Labor Day in the Midwest that feels like a line in the sand. One day it’s late summer—hot afternoons, kids running barefoot through the yard, evenings on the porch with the last of the lightning bugs. And then suddenly, the grills cool down, the parade banners are folded up, and we all know: summer has officially taken its final bow.
This holiday always brings with it a sense of gratitude—gratitude for the long days that carried us, for the laughter and the memories stitched into the fabric of our homes and neighborhoods, for the very gift of rest and celebration that Labor Day was intended to honor. It’s a pause before the rush of fall routines, a way of saying: we worked, we gathered, we celebrated, and now we turn the page.
When I look back on our summer, I see so many small, ordinary miracles: watching our garden flourish, taking family trips to my hometown, watching my daughter get baptized in the lake I grew up swimming in, gathering around the table with people we love, listening to giddy giggles and screams at the small town fair. These were the moments that felt like pure summer, the ones I’ll hold onto when the mornings grow crisp and the leaves start to drift down.
But as much as I’ll miss the sun-drenched days, there’s beauty in this transition too. Fall has its own rhythm—slower in some ways, busier in others. It invites us to gather indoors, to light candles, to layer in textures and warmth. It’s the season of harvest, of reaping what was planted, and of preparing our hearts and homes for what’s ahead.
So on this Labor Day, I’m thankful—not just for the rest it brings, but for the way it bookends a season and ushers in the next. It’s a reminder that life is made up of seasons, each with its own gifts. Summer taught us to play, to savor, to soak in every ounce of light. And now fall arrives, ready to teach us how to slow down, prepare, and embrace change with open hands.
Here’s to a summer well lived, and a new season just beginning.
