Back to School

The first September breeze fluttered
across the tops
of the withered grass
and fall came tumbling in as
if someone had thrown
open a door.
       --Liz Rosenberg



It rained this morning, then was humid and warm. Then late this afternoon, a strong wind started to blow, a Mary Poppins wind, from the West. I told Anne that the wind was blowing so hard because it was blowing the Fall here. And I was right. The mercury is dropping, and the high tomorrow is only 60 degrees in Chicago! Fall is here. I see a pumpkin spice latte in the near future, apple picking, soup, and sweaters. And as usual, there's the cheery back-to-school feeling. The excitement of being poised and ready to learn something new.

We held our first meeting of the new year for the Well-Read Mom group this evening. I sat around a big round table with 7 like-minded women, women who believe in the importance of reading great things so that we can instill in our children a love of literature. So that we can, as Sarah of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast says, build our family culture around books. So that we can remind ourselves that we are not just dinner-makers, nose-wipers, and diaper-changers. We have brains that need exercise, just like the rest of our muscles.

I love these women. They are so earnest, so funny, so brave and honest and kind. They are amazing mothers, amazing friends. As Marcie Stokman, founder of Well-Read Mom, reminded us tonight, motherhood can be a lonely journey, and women do better when we band together. When we live this challenging vocation in community. I am so lucky to have found such a village in the midst of a big, impersonal city.

Next week we start a little back-to-school of sorts; a park district swim class on Monday mornings, and a Music Together class on Thursday mornings. I think we could both do with a bit more structure, and I'm looking forward to building at least a semblance of a schedule around those two anchors. As for me, a stack of nonfiction titles are calling me out of my summer novel-reading riot. Well, as soon as I finish Outlander (WHOA, you guys).

Are you going "back to school" this fall? What does it look like in your life?