The boys and I started piano lessons back up again today. One of my New Year’s Resolutions for this year was to play the piano more. With everything that’s gone on this past year my piano resolution became something akin to a dream from a past life. But a few weeks ago in church, our organist played Jesus loves me from the piano, and my heart was so moved by the song’s beauty that I asked her after church for lessons.

I talked with a local pastor’s wife this morning. I find myself almost panting to get back into church life, longing again for some sort of creative community where I am no longer existing on a diet of scarcity when it comes to spiritual and communal nourishment. I don’t just need the food myself, I need to feed others. I need to create and be continuously recreated, over and over. It’s how I am made to exist in this world.

It’s a beautiful fall day outside. The front porch area needs some sweeping and decorating. I need to pull up the pumpkin plant that faithfully produced it’s fruit for the joy of others, and now gets to rest and return even closer to the ground. The sun of September and October is perhaps my favorite sun. It’s hard to choose favorites in these beautiful life cycles. The month I love is always the one that reminds me of joy.