August in Hall County is an amazing time of the year.

I realize New Year’s Day is always Jan. 1. But for most families, or most churches for that matter, the start of the new school year really marks the beginning of the new year.

As summer winds down, the stores soon will be full of parents shopping for school supplies, buses will start to roll and another chapter in our lives will begin. Not long after that, the leaves will change their color as even the trees acknowledge a new season is upon us.

As I reflect back over the early years for our children, I have often thought I wish I had been less concerned with the hustle and bustle of each chapter and had spent a bit more time enjoying each page. I know how hard it can be to get children out the door on time, finishing the nightly homework assignments and coordinating the many different schedules. We have seven all together in our house.

While I wouldn’t trade one minute of it for all the gold in the world, I do wish I had enjoyed the stages of life for each child more. The things we look back and laugh at now, I wish I had just laughed at then.

As I now enjoy our first grandchild, I do so knowing she will be little for only so long and I want to soak up every moment. I want to encourage each of you with families to enjoy the moments and really spend time on each page, knowing once that page is turned it is gone forever and can only be remembered.

I pray your memories of this new chapter and this new school year will be made with intention and with a light heart knowing they are only ours for such a brief time.

Churches throughout Hall County are fully aware of this changing of seasons and can be a great resource and support for you and your children. I pray you would consider being part of a family of faith this year and find strength in community and connecting with others journeying in this season of life.

Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel in Gainesville. He can be contacted at 678-677-8300 or visit www.freechapel.org.