WELCOME, SEPTEMBER

Who doesn't love a fresh box of Crayolas? Even though my paper of preference is a reporter's notebook over loose-leaf, a fresh pad is always a welcome sight.

Well, hello there, ninth month.

There are two months each year that more than any other scream New Beginnings!  Those, for me anyway, are January and September. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Our church pastor has said that those two months are when people are most likely to start something new, such as church or perhaps joining a life group.

January is, of course, the launch of a new calendar year. But September, I suppose, takes us all back to that excited little-kid feeling of a new school year, which always meant a new beginning and the eternal hope of maybe finally being good at algebra or of meeting a new bestie.

Even though there’s three more weeks of summer on the calendar, for me, it’s over when September arrives. This is the fourth summer that I’ve had a book in print, and summers mean that the book-related activity calendar is lean. During each of the four summers, I’ve thought that maybe my own personal literary journey is winding down. But then …

Enter September. When it arrives, things change.

I felt this yesterday, on August’s last day, when these things happened within a six-hour period:

* Email arrived from The Liberty Herald asking for comments and information about my four mini-programs profiling four famous folks from Liberty, coming up on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Founder’s Day. (More about that in an upcoming post.) Can you guess who they are? They are a diverse group! There's a general, a doll, a TV / radio broadcaster and a queen.

* I recently agreed to edit a children’s book! The manuscript was hand-delivered to my work desk yesterday. I started last night and will have it ready for Tuesday pick up.

* Confirmation came that I’m a participant in the Middletown Library Author Fair from 1-3 on Saturday, Sept. 16.

* I was asked about possibly giving a program for an area book club in December. The invite isn’t locked in, but I presented a pitch, and now I’ll see if the official invite comes.

Really? All that in one day? And the last day of August at that? After a summer that contained exactly one book-related public activity? Yep, it’s the start of a new season. And even without the new stuff on the horizon, I’ve got some dates on there anyway, and some new leads to chase.

August was one busy month! We helped son Ben find and move into new digs. There was my 40th high school reunion, overnight-weekday company and a Reds game, a wedding, and the return of our wonderful editor Katie from maternity leave.

September brings its own packed calendar starting with breakfast with the kids tomorrow, a program for a local PEO club Thursday, Founder’s Day next Saturday in Liberty, dinner out with the MLMs next Sunday, then a community-wide musical program, Bible Study Fellowship starting in again Monday, Sept. 11, a trip, and a couple of book signings. Whew! I’m tired already.

I like the visual of the September calendar as a fresh start.

Maybe we no longer have new boxes of crayons to create with, nor crisp notebooks of back-to-school paper. But all the same, this is a great month to try something new. If you would like to know more about Bible Study Fellowship, an international, non-denominational study that is likely to change your life, shoot me an email at [email protected].

I plan to do a special post, but I will tell you that we’re in Romans for the study year, which runs through early May. You can Google Bible Study Fellowship and learn about classes offered throughout the U.S. and world, but if you want to know about those offered in Middletown on Monday nights or in New Castle on Tuesday mornings, I’ll give you exact details.

I’ll also be reading the new memoir by my friend, author Joyce Maynard, The Best of Us, which debuts Tuesday. It is a true love story; one that ended too quickly with the passing of her beloved Jim, from cancer, following their too-brief marriage.

Welcome, ninth month! I’m coming to get you.

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I kicked off September with a bowl of autumn apples arraged in my mother's vintage wooden bowl, centered on the dining room table. Recipes for our magazine's recipe contest are being collected now through noon, Monday, Sept. 11.

Rules are simple: One recipe a person with no known copyright on the recipe, and the ability to prepare it and bring it to the final judging at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 in New Castle if contacted to participate. We'll have a blast! And someone will go home with $100! Submit /questions: [email protected].