There's no place like home...

Summer fun - bring it on! Who doesn’t love those endless summer days – sun up early and down late? Picnics, parades, cookouts, pool parties, water sports, vacations, and unending choices of annual summer events fill the summer months.

Most people look forward to summer all year, so much that they miss the other seasons. Actually where I live, most people think that there are just two seasons. Summer is most favored, except it is often declared as too short. The ‘other’ season is not always given a name – other than ‘not summer.’ It’s just classified as cold, wet, rainy, and/or snowy!

Sometimes I feel like an ‘old curmudgeon!’ Actually not old, just a curmudgeon – because I have always felt this way! I love all of the summer activities, but too often for me, they are just one big series of overlapping events and I don’t get time to exhale! Try as I might, I still have too much on the social calendar. It is a dance of failing to set boundaries for quiet time, and saying yes to being in the present moment of the summer days and friends. It is all good, but going forward, I think I may schedule time for a chair, the shade, and the songs of the birds as a social event!

We ‘vacationed’ this summer as a couple for the first time in 19 years. After scheduling ‘the village’ to care for the pup and water the plants; taking the extra time to over pack; and getting on the road by 3:00am, it was simple. The trip involved 12 days, and places we actually chose to visit. We travelled over 3,000 miles and were either in rain, or extreme heat and humidity, none of which could dampen spirits. We made cherished memories with family, and visited places that have only been talked about as someday places. We ‘grew’ as a couple. Being in the confined space of a car for so long lent itself to acceptance of the journey together. (We also grew as a couple by about 8 pounds as we ate our way through those 3,000 miles!)

We were greeted home by a broken air conditioner, changes in schedules, and an unexpected trip to the dentist for Mom at the same time the pup had a vet appointment and hubby had a scheduled car maintenance appointment…but it was all okay after a few nights’ sleep in my own bed!

I do love summer – don’t misread me, but I also love all of the other seasons as well for the blessings within each. We are transitioning to shorter days, cooler weather, back to school and more organized schedules for most. With this current change of season, I am so looking forward to curling up on the couch with a good book, dressed in leggings and an oversized sweater…maybe even a blanket if I go on the patio. And I should mention that it will be by 6:30 pm - when dinner has been cleaned up and it is dark already. Oh, fret if you must, but I will be contently quiet to slow down a bit!

...always be the love that you are called to be