Well, it's August. I have no idea how that happened. I think each day in July must have taken for itself another so that this year July went by in half the time as usual. That's the only explanation I can come up with. It's sort of shocking really, that next month it will be September.
But it is a happy day! My brother is in town. There has already been a good deal of laughter and plenty of hugs and there will be more of both, for sure. The three of us together feels pretty great.
Something else pretty great: getting to work with Brian on this month's desktop calendar. To me, Brian Ferry consistently takes some of the most inspiring images around. I was so glad he was game for joining me in this month's collaboration, and even more glad when this image arrived in my inbox amongst some other pretty great choices. I knew exactly what I wanted to do the instant I saw it.
This Mary Oliver poem is so dear to me. I have often thought of it on the early morning walks I take while my grandfather is still sleeping. I find it comforting and something like a jolt. The jolt I need to keep my heart open and maybe a little bit tender. A reminder that is welcomed and needed - so that I might not miss all the magic that's happening around me, to me, in the midst of some pretty difficult days. Oliver's poem is a beautiful reminder to me that it's important to see, to pay attention, to be brave - one can miss so much if the walls go up.
I hope you'll love this month's calendar as much as we do, friends. Oh, and you'll need to click the image twice to get the full size. I'm sure you know what to do after that.
Happy August, friends. S