End of Summer Melancholy

Yes, I am one of those people who LOVES summer.  I know plenty of folks enjoy cooler temps and dream about the days when they can cozy up in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a fluffy  blanket, wearing comfy pjs and socks, drinking hot cocoa.  Not me.  That's OK for others, but to me, the thought of temperatures below 75 sends chills down my spine...literally, and not in a good way. 

I'm a flip-flop kind of girl.  I like the freedom of not having to wear a coat to go outside.  I like the fact that I can walk barefoot on the grass if I wanted to.  I'm all about big water, blue skies, sand in my toes and the sound of waves and seagulls in the air.  That's why the last days of August and plans for Labor Day weekend make me want to cry.

I like picnics and gatherings.  But, I don't want to celebrate the end of what's so dear to me! Sigh...

The thing is, I grew up in a place where it's always summer...and saying goodbye to it here, brings back the hurt of having lost the home of my youth.  The faint reddish tint that is starting to appear on the trees, the later sunrise and the earlier sunsets plus the hint of coolness in the air all forecast another season to remember how different my life is and how far I am from the young woman who once cared not a bit about the possibility of summer ending.

The deep melancholy of loss sometimes sits quietly, set aside, confined to the back corners of our heart...only to resurface when we least expected, triggered by the normalcy of events which reminds us that what used to be normal is no more.

What is there to do, then, when confronted with the inevitability of change and the bottomless pit of pain it often causes?

I don't know.  I don't have any "5 easy steps" to overcoming sadness and melancholy.  All I know is to cling to My Jesus.  I go to The Word and hold on to it, claiming the promises, releasing my sorrow and trusting that what He has said in Scripture is true.  

In the middle of this stormy afternoon, when the golden sun of summer is hidden by dark clouds, I go to my source of strength:

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34: 18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8: 18

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelations 21: 4

If the Lord can hold the stars in place every night...He can take care of my broken heart.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Lord of All My Days! Amen!