What's with September?

September is a very interesting month. It’s the ninth month of the year in our calendar, but in truth it means, seven or septem in Latin.

It began actually as the seventh month of the Roman calendar, but was changed in 46 BC, when the first month, March, became January.

Confusing? Well, changes happen as years go by. So, today, September is one of four months with only 30 days.

September begins on the same day of the week as December every year. September 1 this year was on a Saturday. December will begin on a Saturday, too. Neat, huh?

But September is the only month in the year that ends on a particular day (Sunday in 2012) that is not duplicated in any of the other 11 months. Yes, no other month this year will end on a Sunday.

September is three months away from Christmas. But this is the month I do my Christmas shopping. In fact, I have already shopped for all my Christmas gifts last week. Does that surprise you?

I like Christmas shopping in September because there aren’t too many people in the malls, and I don’t want to get caught in the Christmas rush. So you see, people begin to think of Christmas in September!

I grew up reciting a poem from the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. I still recite it when I want to remember how many days a particular month has. Perhaps you have come across this poem as well:

 Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

February has twenty-eight alone,

All the rest have thirty-one;

Excepting leap year, that’s the time,

When February’s days are twenty-nine.

September is also the birthday of three people who have inspired me. The first one is Roald Dahl, born on September 13, 1916. He was a poet, pilot, and a writer. But he is best known to me—and maybe to you—as a children’s book writer.

He wrote many of his unforgettable stories in a hut up in his orchard, spending countless hours there creating books such as my favorite: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The second one is Shel Silverstein, born September 25, 1930.

Shel Silverstein was a poet, cartoonist, and also a children’s book writer. He began writing when he was 12 because he was not very interested in sports. He wrote many books in his lifetime, but my favorite remains to be “The Giving Tree,” a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy.

The third is Anna Mary Robertson Moses, born September 7, 1860. She is better known as Grandma Moses. She began painting when she was 80 years old, and she has become, even after her death, one of the best-loved painters of all time! Her paintings were and are used to advertize many American holidays—including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mother’s Day.

September is a significant month indeed. Won’t you share what makes September important to you? Please visit my website: http://leavesofgrace.blogspot.com or email me at: gdchong@ gmail.com