August has almost arrived, and here in Lancashire, we are experiencing humid, brooding days, & the feeling of summer at its fullest.
The hedgerows are beginning to offer blackberries, seedheads are growing heavy, apples are swelling on the bough, and the evenings are holding onto the light a little more softly.
When my children were little, they would wander in and out of doors, shoes are abandoned by the back step, damp towels appearing in unexpected places, and the house would bear all the lovely, untidy evidence of a family living deeply within this season.
August can feel wonderfully abundant, but there is often a quiet pressure beneath it too. We may begin to notice how quickly the summer is passing and feel that we ought to be doing more with it: making memories, taking trips, finishing plans, gathering every last drop of sunshine before the season changes. Sadly, even joy can become something else to manage.
So I have made a small, free August Joy resource for you.
It is just one page: a gentle encouragement for the ripe, & golden days of August. There are a few permissions, (not that you need permission from me, but it might help to ease the mother-guilt!) some cosy joys to choose from, small nature-noticing ideas, three straightforward journal prompts, and a short August blessing. It is not a plan, a challenge, or another thing to complete, just an invitation from one mother to another to loosen your grip on how summer was supposed to look, & to welcome the life that is actually here, allowing the ordinary moments of pleasure to interrupt your busy day.
You might pin it to the fridge, tuck it into your planner, keep it beside your morning basket, or read the blessing aloud while the kettle boils.
May this month bring open windows, blackberry-stained fingers, clean sheets stirred by the evening air, and the grace to enjoy what is here without trying to hold onto it too tightly.
You can download the free page here: August Joy
P.S. The annual RLS Summer Sale begins on Friday!
From my home to yours,
