Inspiration and Imagination

Or
"What I Did on my Summer Vacation"

Remember those required writing essays? Even the youngest children know they are coming. And know, to impress the new teacher, it's good to have topics other than
Ate sno-cones, Read a lot of beach books, Cooked fish on the grill.

But, thankfully, my friend Eileen Harrell just shared this quote with me, paraphrased from Thomas Merton:

“The imagination needs time to browse.”

I've been thinking about that during these last days of summer. Labor Day weekend always marked the end of my children's and my own (grown-up) summers, with school following on the heels of the holiday. Mind you, I never knew that Labor Day was a holiday till I moved out of the South. My astute father always said that Labor Day and Daylight Savings Time were inventions of those living outside any economy that depended on farming. "Cows can't tell time," he'd remark. Nor was Labor Day weekend acknowledged by livestock where I grew up.

But here I am, in a place where this first September weekend is a big deal. The summer is ending, there's a chill in the evening air, and I've even detected a bit of color in the Japanese maples.





I've had lots of time and lots of people this past week to inspire my imagination.

All sorts of things-- from caterpillars. . .



to cute puppies . . .



And so another summer ends, with beautiful sunsets and plenty of time to let the imagination wander.


photos courtesy of Steve Marino and Jay Scattergood

Remember: Imagination needs time to browse.
And browse away!

Possible related posts: My Dad and Trains
My Life With Dogs