By: Dr. Phyllis G. Bivins-Hudson
July asked us to pause. It arrived with its heat, its heaviness, its long days, and its invitation to slow down long enough to breathe.
For me, July also carried the beautiful afterglow of my Finding December book release party—a celebration that was more than an event. It was a gathering of love, memory, support, truth, and completion.
To stand in a room of more than 120 guests consisting of family, friends, readers, and supporters who traveled from as far away as Atlanta and Pennsylvania to honor not just a book, but a journey, was deeply moving. Finding December was born from reflection, healing, relationships, survival, and becoming.
The success of the release party reminded me that when we tell the truth about our lives, we never know whose heart may be listening, whose memory may be stirred, or whose healing may quietly begin. July gave me room to sit with that kind of gratitude.
But now August has arrived, and August feels different. August is not as loud as July. It does not enter with fireworks or demand the same kind of attention.
August arrives more quietly, almost inching its way in, but it carries meaning of its own. It is still summer, still warm, still full of light, but somewhere beneath the surface, change has already begun to whisper.
August is the bridge. It stands between the fullness of summer and the movement of fall. It gives us long evenings, heavy air, and one last stretch of seasonal stillness, while also reminding us that something new is approaching.
The stores begin to fill with school supplies. Students begin to feel the excitement of leveling up. Teachers begin thinking about classrooms. Families begin shifting schedules. Calendars begin to matter again.
Even nature seems to know that the season is preparing to turn. August does not rush us into fall, but it does begin to prepare us for what is next. That is why I have been thinking about August not as an ending, but as a doorway.
In Finding December, I wrote about arrival, reflection, relationships, lessons, and the long road toward becoming whole. But arrival does not happen all at once.
There are seasons in our lives when we are moving forward, even when it feels as if we are standing still. There are months when the work is quiet but we are contemplating.
There are moments when healing looks like rest, preparation, release, or simply being willing to listen to what life is trying to teach us. August feels like one of those moments.
August invites us to ask different questions.
Not just, “What did I do this summer?” But, “What did this summer teach me?”
Not just, “What is coming next?” But, “What do I need to carry with me, and what am I finally ready to leave behind?”
Not just, “How do I get ready for fall?” But, “How do I prepare my spirit for a new season?”
As I continue my summer hiatus from Thursday Sidebar, I am using this time to reflect on the conversations still waiting to be had. Thursday Sidebar will return on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 6:30 P.M. EST and I invite you to join me for this new season.
We will continue to talk honestly about life, loss, healing, identity, womanhood, education, resilience, survival, relationships, becoming and so much more.
But I do not want to rush past August to get there. August deserves its own attention. It offers us the chance to gather ourselves before the pace changes.
It allows us to slow down and look around our homes, our hearts, our dreams, and our unfinished thoughts and decide what needs tending. It gives us permission to prepare without panic, reflect without regret and react with intentionality.
So, before September asks us to begin again, perhaps August is asking us to listen.
Here are a few ways to move through August on your terms and with intention:
Write down three things this summer taught you.
Revisit one goal you set earlier in the year and decide whether it still belongs to you.
Create a “before fall” list—not a list of chores, but a list of intentions.
Call someone you have been meaning to reconnect with.
Read one chapter of a book that causes you to think about your own life. Clean one small space in your home as a symbol of making room.
Choose one special word to carry with you into September.
Sit outside in the evening and pay attention to what is changing.
Give yourself one quiet hour without noise, pressure, or expectation.
Finish something small that has been waiting for your attention.
These are not grand activities. They do not require travel, expense, or performance. They simply require presence.
And sometimes presence is exactly what we need before we step into a new season.
August reminds us that preparation can be sacred. It reminds us that transitions matter. And that we do not have to rush our becoming. For me, July was the pause. August is the preparation.
September will be the return.
And when Thursday Sidebar returns on September 3, I look forward to gathering again in that familiar space where conversation becomes reflection, reflection becomes healing, and healing becomes another step toward becoming who we were always meant to be.
Until then, may August be gentle with you. May it help you gather what you need. May it show you what can be released.
And may it remind you that the bridge between where you have been and where you are going is still a meaningful part of the journey.
With gratitude, as I continue to fly on my own wings while finding my
December. I hope you’ll find yours too! I’ll see you in September
Dr. Phyllis G. Bivins-Hudson