Seeking Hope as Summer Ends

Although Summer officially ends on September 22nd, sunflowers are wilting, schools are reopening, stores are displaying Halloween candy (and Christmas decor at Costco!). It’s a new season regardless of the date.

Crisp days and crisp apples are reasons to cheer, but I relate more to Green Day’s soulful rendition of September in Wake Me Up When September Ends.

“Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends.”

This song, a tribute to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s late father, tugs at me when I spy sagging sunflowers. Even the sunflower’s scientific name Helianthus annuus suggests endings, as “annuus” means one year in Latin, according to Google. The giant golden florets’ final bow brings browning leaves, drooping stems, dead flowers.

But it’s not really the end.

Birds and animals feast on the seeds. The rest decomposes to fertilize the earth. Then we’ll be rewarded with plants that have reseeded themselves, offering new burst of flowers. (We had a huge sunflower crop this year, all from previous years’ plants.)

Despite pangs of emptiness as daylight decreases, I trust I’ll see spring again.

What gives you hope when you’re down?