Weather wise, today is a perfect day. The air has finally lost its cloying stickiness of humidity but it does not have the crisp autumnal air yet. It is as if the air is just in a mellow mood.

The sun is still bright and warm. You don't have to look very hard to find the warm sunny spot as you have to do in the dead of winter. When I am outside, my skin feels the way it does on evenings after a day at the beach; the pleasant sensation of cool evening breezes skimming over a taut somewhat sunburned face. At this time of year, I don't need to wait until evening; the day breeze immediately cools down my warmed skin. I half expect to taste some salt on my lips.

I love this transitional time between summer and fall weather. Technically it is still summer but the days and weather lean more to the fall-ish side. It is the day of sunflowers, chrysanthemums and gathering of acorns yet it is still the day of hydrangeas, sunshine, and sandals.

I love the unhurried pace of the day. It makes me want to achieve things but also to just sit back and enjoy whatever I am doing. No time pressure. No feeling of "hurry up and wait." Just a good balance of work, play and create. It is a perfect day for all of it. The sweet juxtaposition of doing and being; the active fall and the languishing summer.

It reminds me of the month leading up to our wedding. Just before it, I had an accident at work- slipped on a freshly waxed floor and landed right on my backside. I was told to go home and rest for a couple of days. Even though the wedding date was looming, I found those days were wonderful. I could lounge in bed reading books. A co-worker loaned me all of her D.E. Stevenson books and I was in heaven, reading about the trials and tribulations of everyday life in England and Scotland. I was transported.

It seems to me that the quality of today's air is like it was twenty-seven years ago. When I feel it, I am transported to a place where I feel mellow. Like the country song says, "no shoes, no shirt, no problems." (except of course, the shirt!)

Every year, in September and October I look forward to days like today. I wish I could bottle it, but then I wonder if it would be as special? When days like this come around, do I squander it or do I thoroughly enjoy each moment? And, do I have to wait until my surroundings, e.g. the air and sun quality, are just right in order to feel this peace? If I cannot bottle those qualities, can I still achieve this mellow feeling without it?

Underlying the perfect day is a feeling of hope, expectation, possibilities and a future. Certainly those were some of my feelings leading up to our wedding. If those are the qualities of a perfect day, why cannot each day be perfect?

What about you? Do certain times of the year speak to your heart? When is it? Why is it? Is it a time of remembrance? A time of hope? A time of peace?

Certainly Jesus promises us a peace that passes all understanding. When we trust Him, we do have a perfect day of hope, expectation, possibilities and a future.