Summertime,
the time for relaxation,
the time for seemingly endless sleep,
has come to an end.
And although my heart,
my mind,
saddens with the thought
of saying goodbye to so much,
the sticky heat,
the random bike rides to the park,
the stressless nights watching TV, 
I realize that there is so much 
I am excited for,
so much I long to achieve. 
Today, 
I said goodbye
to my sister,
who has left for college,
the next towering step in her life.
Yes,
this farewell is temporary,
but as I hugged her,
tears escaping my eyes,
I was sorrowed,
I already missed her.
This year is going to be difficult,
each year always is,
but there is always a bit of light 
that seeps into the world behind my eyes. 
And over time,
this tiny sliver of light will 
begin to grow,
as I think about my sister meeting friends,
going out to dinner,
doing homework in her dorm,
experiencing her own adventure,
until my world is filled with everything necessary. 
Plenty of dark,
plenty of gray,
and plenty of light.