Better Together: A September Re-set
By Shirley Hickman, Volunteer
Towards the end of August I could see my boys’ excitement and hear it in their voices as they prepared to go back to school. It was like starting a new year for them and perhaps for me as well. September always brought about change: in the weather, in activities both for my boys and myself. Now I see and hear the excitement in my granddaughters as they head to their courses in university and meet new friends, new adventures.
September, a month to start a new activity or re-join a group that took a summer break. It is always a refresh and like a new start of the upcoming year. Not everyone sets goals like we discuss for January 1st, but we look forward to seeing others, perhaps canning or freezing foods from the summer harvest for use during the winter months.
The weather is still good to continue to barbeque as a few members shared in the August issue of Better Together (links at the end). We may see the colours of the trees start to change. For sure September is a season of change.
In the early stages of our journey in workplace tragedy, any change can feel overwhelming. Grief takes a lot of emotional energy. We are told to take it day by day, or minute by minute, yet we all need to take care of others as well as ourselves. Just like the seasons of the year – grief is a time of change, only more difficult. Threads of Life developed a calendar of online opportunities for family members to connect and discuss a variety of healthy coping skills, called the FamiliesConnect series. I invite each of you to consider joining in this group. I find it helpful to know I am not alone.
Members have shared a few things they reflect on in September:
Maria shares: Whenever I think of September, it always comes back to “new beginnings.” Kids are going back to school and starting new grades, they go out and buy new clothes and supplies, and there is this sense of newness and wanting to start fresh. I’m not in school anymore, but when September rolls around I still have that sense to reassess and make new goals for myself.
At the same time, September reminds me to slow down and take in the beauty around me. Summer can be a busy time, and we can sometimes get caught up in doing “all the things” such as catching up with friends and family or going on vacation. In September, we go back to our routine ways of life. Routine is great, but don’t forget to stop and enjoy the moment you’re in. Take a deep breath and smell the crispness in the air. Feel the leaves crunching under your feet. See the changing colours in the trees.
September is a gift: it is a time of fresh starts and new ambitions. It’s also a time to pause and reflect and be hopeful for the changes ahead.
Bailey shares: September always feels like a marker of growth in our family. The kids are stepping into a new grade, a new season of learning, and it reminds me how quickly time moves. As the air turns crisp, I find myself reaching for sweaters and leaning into the coziness that comes with cooler days. This time of year feels like a gentle turning inward, settling into routines, making space for reflection, and nourishing ourselves with simple comforts. For me, that often means stirring a pot of soup on the stove, letting it simmer as we ease into autumn together.
Shelley-Lynn shares: September is the New Year in our family. For years, everything revolved around our children’s school years and my husband’s university year. Our children are grown, and my husband is retired but it is still a time filled with new beginnings and fresh promise. This year we are looking forward to the birth of our first grandchild.
Rebecca shares: I love summer – the long evenings, the warm weather and the beauty that summer brings. But fall is what makes my heart sing. I personally am a skinny-jeans, hoodie or cardigan and boots kind of girl. There is something about the colours and cozy feeling that fall brings. Fall reminds me that it’s ok to embrace change because though it might be uncomfortable there is still beauty in change. The change of colours and the falling leaves and the return to routine also adds to the feeling of peace I have when September hits. I truly believe that each season can teach us something if we are willing to look. But fall is the season that I see myself in it the most. The beauty in the quiet, the peace in change and the constant stripping of the old to make ready for the new. The warmth that comes with wrapping myself up in comfort reminds me that while change is often uncomfortable it is necessary for growth. So I say bring on all the seasons but it’s the fall that brings me the most joy.
Shantelle shares: September always feels like turning a fresh page in our family’s story. The first week back to school is a blur of packing lunches and reminding the kids—more than once—do they have everything? before we leave the house. Mornings are lively, sometimes chaotic, but there’s comfort in the rhythm returning. Evenings are slower: the dining table becomes a mix of homework, supper, and conversation about the day. Those small, ordinary moments are what I cherish most.
On weekends, we lean into the season—planning a trip to the orchard, baking something, or simply pulling out blankets and watching a family movie as the air turns crisp.
It’s also when friendships find their rhythm again. Catching up over coffee with a friend after the summer’s busyness feels like breathing deeper, like reconnecting with the threads that hold us together.
For me, September is about balance—between schedules and slow moments, between personal goals and family time, between home and community. It’s a reminder that life works best when it’s shared.
Read the other blogs in our Better Together series:
Better Together – What’s on the Barbecue