Somewhere along the way, I notice my summer began to slow down. The vacations become memories, the backyard BBQs grow fewer, and evenings somehow feel a little different.

I love to sit around a small campfire this time of the year.

Not the big ones where people are coming and going all evening.

I like the quiet ones.

Just a handful of people, enough that everyone has a chance to talk if they want to.

I’ve always enjoyed watching the flames. There is something peaceful about watching them. They seem to slow life down, even if only for a little while.

One evening, I found myself watching a small campfire that had been built for a Girl Scout ceremony.

The troop leader smiled and called everyone a little closer.

“Bring your chairs. Grab a blanket if you’re getting chilly. It’s time.”

There was excitement in the air.

A young Girl Scout carefully added another piece of wood to the fire. Tonight she would earn her very first badge. You could see it in her eyes. She was proud. She couldn’t wait for the ceremony to begin.

As I watched her, I couldn’t help but wonder where life would take her.

What dreams would she discover?

What adventures were waiting just beyond tomorrow?

A few feet away sat her mother.

She was not thinking about tomorrow.

She was soaking in tonight.

Life had been busy. Between family, work, errands, and everything else that fills our calendars, evenings like this did not happen nearly often enough.

Tonight, nothing else mattered.

Across the fire sat Grandma.

She had been traveling, enjoying this chapter of her life, seeing places she had always hoped to visit.

Yet somehow, this little campfire was important enough to bring her home.

Beside her sat Great-Grandma.

An extra blanket rested across her lap.

Another around her shoulders.

She was not watching the ceremony nearly as much as she was watching her family. Every smile, laugh, and hug were memories that were tucked away in her heart.

As she closed her eyes, she could smell the crisp air and hear the crackling of the fire.

She chuckled when she realized these people were not strangers.

They were different chapters of her life.

It is funny how life has a way of settling back in, over and over again.

After my stroke, I was not sure what settling back in would even look like. I thought I was trying to find my old life again. Instead, I was introducing myself to a new one.

It happened through one realization, one dream, and one lesson at a time.

That little campfire helped me realize it.

I can still envision that campfire.

Each person sitting around the campfire was me, living through the chapters of my life.

From my past, to who I have become today, and to the person I hope to become one day.

I have had many ups and downs along the way, as I am sure many of you have too. Those moments in life taught me how to manage each chapter as the pages continue to turn.

I can almost feel a soft, warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders, sharing its warmth. As I close my eyes, I can imagine the fire burning a little lower, its orange and red embers dancing into the night. The stars grow a little brighter as I quietly whisper, “Thank you.”

I find myself grateful for the life I have been living.

Love surrounds me.