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Do you dread the end of summer as the calendar turns from August to September? How can we support ourselves through these moments with God’s help? Ritual helps us navigate transitions and reminds us of God’s presence in times of change. Rituals already abound: Labor Day barbeques mark summer’s end, Sunday worship starts the week, and first day of school photos mark a new academic year.

What might it look like in your life to lean into a small, simple ritual in the transition from one thing to the next? To remind yourself and your family that God supports your movement through change?

Keep it simple. A Sunday night ritual might be doing a puzzle together as a family, before the bustle of the week. A back-to-school ritual might be going around the dinner table, sharing gratitude from the summer and an intention for the academic year. A getting-out-the-door ritual might be singing a silly song with your kids. The key is that your ritual moment returns you to your body and the present. It returns you to relationship, with yourself and your loved ones, and with God.

This message is excerpted from “God’s help during transitions” by Crystal L. Hall in the August 2025 Café online magazine.