“So long sweet summer
I stumbled upon you
And gratefully basked in your rays
So long sweet summer
I fell into you
And you’ve gracefully fallen away…”

Today was the last beautiful summer day. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was full of warmth – all in all, a day that could go on forever. We sat outside at lunch and watched the early fallen leaves scatter across the ground.

The fall is a good, although a bit sad, season for me. Frank and I were married on the last day of Summer 2003, which is one of my happiest memories. My dad and I danced to Frank Sinatra’s Summerwind because my dad said that’s how it described my last summer at home – a warm, fleeting breeze.

Aside from getting married in the fall, I also started my first job out of college (well, real job) on Oct. 16th. And of course, the fall is the beginning of the school year, which I always loved. Crisp new notebooks, fresh fall clothes, new classes.

Yeah, the school year and the job and the marriage came with their fair share of challenges – but they also came packaged with growth and new experiences and friendships. Summer is sweet, but it is fleeting, just like all time. The memory of summer’s beauty lingers on, especially on warm, rich fall days like today.

So to honor my dad and our last summer dance two years ago, below are the lyrics to Summerwind by Frank Sinatra.

“The summer wind, came blowin’ in – from across the sea
It lingered there, to touch your hair- and walk with me
All summer long, we sang a song – and then we strolled that golden sand
Two sweethearts, and the summer wind

“Like painted kites, those days and nights – they went flyin’ by
The world was new, beneath a blue – umbrella sky
Then softer than, a piper man – one day it called to you
And I lost you, I lost you to the summer wind.”