Charlotte the Spider to Wilbur the Pig

This is a passage from the great E.B. White. It is in my thoughts today at the final, sure-enough end of summer. It is of course that old soul Charlotte the spider speaking to little Wilbur in his pen:"These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come and you, Wilbur, will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world. Winter too will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return, the frogs will awake, the warm winds will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur, this lovely world these precious days.May acceptance and joy in the moment be ours this day..