I’m a 4 seasons gal. I appreciate the beauty of the seasons God gave us and the unique experiences that each brings. I grew up in the Midwest, so it’s hard for me to imagine a Fall without the crisp air and the changing of the leaves and “sweater weather." The Winter without some white days and fires in the fireplace. The Spring without the newness it offers and chilly, dewy mornings and days that warm the ground while the air feels like butter as it leads into summer.
Summer finally arrives, and it releases a sense of freedom. Schedules shift to make way for vacations, family reunions and an all-around looser schedule. Barbecues, pool parties, community parades and county fairs release a festive vibe into the atmosphere.
I remember being a kid when summer meant later mornings, picnic lunches at the park, and play dates with friends during the weekdays. Swimming pool passes, slip-and-slides in the yard, frequent trips to Dairy Queen and playing outside until the evening cool set in. I was a kid and summer was everything. Yet my favorite things about Summer now are perhaps a bit more obscure than the obvious.
Barefoot and winding down, my husband and I, occasionally with friends, sit outside on the back porch with a glass of wine and usher the night in. The cicadas orchestrate a symphony that almost becomes white noise. If you stop to listen, it’s actually quite loud. Those darn things.
The morning rolls in, and I love the cool, if even just for a few hours where I get up with my coffee and once again listen, read, and pray. I know the sun is about to rise, so I try and catch it. I put on my sneakers and hit the trail. I’ve timed this walk so that I can be on the west side of the lake just in time to catch the sun cresting the horizon, the sky ablaze with orange, red and yellow. In just minutes, it is fully in the sky and the morning has come.
I run my list of groceries to include all that is in season. Berries, fruit and fresh veggies are the best in summer! Off to the farmers market on a Saturday morning. Coffee in hand, iced maybe, we walk through the small crowd gathered downtown and take in the goods that skilled and labored hands have brought. I think through dinner and make sure to gather all the ingredients needed to make it that evening. Perhaps a garden salad that includes cucumbers, peppers and arugula and a little goat cheese from a local creamery, corn on the cob from Daniels, fresh baked sourdough bread (crusty on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside) from the European bakery, and a couple of steaks from the rancher who sells them. Delightful.
Hypothetically, I’d spend my summer afternoon at the pool. We spent years at the pool that belonged to my husband's family. My boys learned to swim there and filled our summer memories. I love a pool. I love the smell of chlorine and the way my skin feels in the blazing summer heat , almost too hot to bear another second before jumping in and feeling the immediate refresh of the perfect water. Music is playing in the background, and as I sip on my ever-so-cold ice water, I repeat the cycle of heating up and cooling off for a couple of hours, and it’s just the best. All the cares in the world seem distant for just a moment.
I cool off and throw on a summer dress. The perfect wardrobe is full of summer dresses. Barefoot again, I put my toes in the grass and water our flowers. I come into the kitchen and slowly begin to prepare the meal I planned that morning. I catch a family member, and we chat while I cut veggies and make dressings, etc. We all gather outside (if the temps aren’t too high) and enjoy a meal lingering under the strung lights on the patio.
Simple as they may be, these are my favorite things about summer. Oh the simple things, though they be… seem as though they're made for me.
Thank you, Lord.
Yet, what would life be without the seasons? So grateful that God brings us through each of them in their time.
Your Friend,
Rachel
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Rachel Scott
402.658.4041
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