September

~ For the golden corn and the apples on the trees, For the butter and the honey for our tea, For fruits and nuts and berries that grow beside the way, For birds and bees and flowers, we give our thanks today. Blessings on our meal and our family~

photo from here

    Autumn is a time for gratitude, harvest and reverence. Autumn is filled with many celebrations, both big and small. September 29th is the day that we celebrate Michaelmas in the Waldorf School. Often there is a depiction of a knight doing battle with a dragon. This image of Michael doing battle with the dragon represents strength and courage over darkness.

    September is the month of abundance, yet it is also the month that the light changes and trees begin to change. It is the threshold of winter. In the Early Childhood classroom every day is a celebration and we put great thought into having gratitude and reverence in everything we do. We sit down for meals together, we sing a blessing before we eat and we stay at the table until everyone is finished.

   Bread day has a special feeling to it unlike any of the other days. The children wash their hands, put on aprons and help to kneed and shape the dough. They watch it rise and smell it baking. When a child receive her roll at snack time her eyes light up as she hold her still warm bread. At that moment the children know that their work truly matters.

  And so with this understanding, this  love of work we greet the abundance that is September. We take the shining light and hold it in our hearts as we walk towards the winter.