words I don't want to forget ... and a couple of pictures too.

October 3 and the calendar against my kitchen wall still said September.

I flipped the page and welcomed the painting of an old red barn nestled in a grove of trees.

A grove of trees with leaves of red, orange, yellow … and still a hint of green too.

Signs of fall on a page that whispered “country.

I chuckled to myself.

I was 3 days behind as usual, but indeed living fully.

September 2011 – a page in the history books.

Events, moments, special conversations, books read, meals prepared and memories made.

Another month had just fluttered by and although I had captured many of our “life” moments, sharing them with family and friends had been hard to do during the past month.

Maybe it was the tightened schedule of my mornings.

Or maybe it was the change of my priorities during our "home" routine.

Whatever it was, it didn’t hinder us from seeing and experiencing the best each day had to offer.

 So much good, so much life, so many opportunities to taste and see what the Lord has done – and will continue to do.

……………………….

September held much.

And just so we don’t forget what the end of summer and the beginning of fall was for us, I’m doing a bit of a “rewind” for the 9^th month of 2011.

…………………….

Sunflowers.

Grandma Evan’s soup – made 3 times.

Zucchini, zucchini, and more zucchini – shredded, cubed, frozen and devoured.

A hillside with something besides dirt this year.

A pumpkin patch of our very own.

A favorite horse buried.

Rainbows and promises kept.

Lumber, posts and a new fence.

4 kids for a weekend.

Furniture given new life.

Phone calls that made a difference … and making a call to make a difference.

An abundant supply of canning jars and produce to fill them with.

Colt.

Recess duty on “good weather” days.

Paint and the magic it makes at home and at school.

Books to share.

Cans to recycle and money to give.

Time with friends and friends with time.

Bulletin boards worth something.

Goodwill & Salvation Army.

2^nd shooting at a beautiful, fun wedding.

A horse that loves corn on the cob.

Helpfulness – in more ways than one.

A broken dryer and a replacement.

A cattle truck.

Rodeo clowns.

Echo Cougars.

Hunters.

Open house and an afternoon spent with Mason on the playground.

Halloween costumes and a day with Darcy.

Good news from Africa.

Calves coming home.

Footsteps worth following.

Spelling tests aced.

Mack’s love of dancing and running around shirtless.

Jeans on Fridays.

A chance to worship.

Sincere conversations.

A swimming pool with a view.

Pigs.

Barbed wire.

External hard drives and the faith they inspire.

Birthday parties and relatives.

Stories of wolves and bears.

Annual "slack" parties.

Allergies, dust and an old t-shirt.

The power of words.

Other wives of cattlemen.

JV football and a grassy hillside.

Exhaustion.

Leftovers.

A paycheck.

Tooth Fairy adventures.

Licorice shared.

Bruises.

Car washes and underwear.

The light at the end of most September days.

Are there things about September that you don't want to forget?

Write them down.

On a receipt, on a journal page, even on your calendar.

Because even if there wasn't a picture ... words create pictures in your mind.

Words that really are worth everything.