When things align.
Some months seem to have a theme without you ever planning one.
Looking back, September felt like a month of alignment of people, memories, purpose and moments somehow coming together.
It was a month of old friends returning. Friends visiting from New York, Australia, Mexico and Scotland, and others we simply hadn’t seen for far too long. There were meals around tables, conversations picked up where we had left off, and the wonderful reminder that some friendships simply carry on, no matter how much time has passed.
It was a bittersweet gathering at Darcy’s bench with Pam and Vicky, friends who came together because of our dogs and who are no longer here.
And then there was George.
September marked his Gotcha Day — another year with the little dog I once agreed to foster and who somehow became the dog who stayed. Through all the changes, the adventures, the arrivals and the losses, George has simply been there.
September was also about showing up in another sense.
Our weekends saw us standing alongside others for animal rights, speaking up for animals who cannot speak for themselves. Perhaps that, too, was part of the alignment: remembering the animals we have loved while trying to make life better for those we will never know.
Meanwhile, life carried on.
Sasha and Skye went back for another school year. We ate at some wonderful places, enjoyed a stay at the Royal Lancaster London, and escaped to the Cotswolds with Fiona and Missy.
None of these things was connected when the month began.
And yet, looking back, somehow they were.
Old friends and new memories. Dogs we have lost and the ones still walking beside us. Moments of celebration and moments of reflection. Standing up for what matters, while remembering to enjoy the life happening around us.
Perhaps alignment isn’t about everything being perfect.
Perhaps it is simply recognising when the things that matter most friendship, love, memories and purpose — come together.
And that was September.
