Hello, dear friends.
I didn’t intend to take a break in July, but that’s exactly what happened. We spent most of the month on the West Coast: teaching at a Bible camp, vacationing on our favorite island in the San Juans, and visiting family in BC. It was glorious. And exhausting. Travel and my people gobbled up all of my time and attention—in the very best way. Sometimes you don’t even know what you need until you are in the midst of receiving it.
And now we recalibrate and prepare for all the change… This weekend we move my oldest and his new bride to Iowa City for law school, early next week my middle son moves back to campus for football, and then two weeks after that my daughter moves out for her first year of college. In three short weeks my husband and I will be home alone with our youngest. The last time there were only three of us in the house was over twenty years ago.
I have a lot of feelings about it all.
For now, I’m working on catching up and prepping for a busy fall. I’m also in the midst of ongoing medical appointments (a journey that began in December and will hopefully find some resolution soon), so if you’re the praying kind, we’re hoping for good news and a clear path forward.
I also owe my Substack community a huge apology. We were supposed to have our Summerstory Book Club Chat last Friday (the 24th) at noon, and it didn’t happen. Delayed flights coming home, and then the chaos of settling back in derailed my plans. I’m truly so sorry. It’s not like me to drop balls. Anyway, I’d love to try again. Let’s plan on next week Wednesday (August 5) at 12:00pm CST. Pop in over your lunch hour to talk about The One Day You Were My Husband and all things summer reading. Here’s the link: Summerstory Book Club Zoom.
Sending hugs and warm, summery wishes to you all. I hope July was a respite for you. After my deep exhale, I’ll be back soon with essays on everything from the Nolan Wells case to the upcoming midterms, creativity, the climate crisis, midlife, and all the stories. My running list of topics is on the brink of burying me.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. What have you been up to this month? Are you loving summer or counting the days until fall? Say “hi” in the comments, friends!
Eyes open. Hearts steady. Hands ready.
Thanks for reading. xoxo - Nicole
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