Blessing for Letting Summer Go

These days are tender,

the in-between space

where one season ends

and another begins.

So, we gather in

with the lit candle

and the fresh flowers,

with our questions

and our grief,

our gratitude 

and our celebration.

We gather in and give thanks

for the changing of the seasons,

honoring all that is

and all that could be.

We hold space for ourselves.

We take four deep breaths,

one for each season,

eyes closed,

hands on our heart,

and after the deep breathing,

we open our eyes

and remember that this moment,

this season, this liminal space,

is sacred indeed.

The next season is coming.

We hold one hand back

toward the summer

and one hand ahead

toward the autumn

and, all at once,

release and welcome.

This is the gift

of being human 

in this gorgeously created world.

—-  Kaitlin Curtice
Liminality Journal, August 24, 2022

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Kaitlin Curtice is a poet, author and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and someone who has grown up in the Christian faith, Kaitlin writes on the intersection of Indigenous spirituality, faith in everyday life, and decolonization within the church. Her book NATIVE: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God is about identity, soul-searching, and being on the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. Kaitlin has contributed to On Being, Religion News Service, USA Today and Sojourners, among others, and was interviewed for the New Yorker on colonization within Christian missions.