Seasons change. The cycle of transformation affects the spirit. Recognize the present moment. Read the invitation. Summer gardens are hosting a party. The sunset lingers. How will you celebrate?
By late spring the strawberries ripen, and the pollen begins to settle. Students of all ages wait restlessly in warm classrooms. Weekends host parades of prom dresses. Summer stands impatiently before us. The season sings of energy, family vacations, sunshine, homemade ice cream, and graduation memories. Time moves us forward into the July heat and the anticipated changes of the season.
Now it’s July. A new batch of fireflies sprinkle the evening air, and bullfrogs blast their low hums against the concert of crickets. The ice melts in my sweet tea. Turtles sunbathe in the pond. Time drifts in busy waves. Minutes scatter like dandelion fluff. Perspiration seems to increase with the passing of each hour. It’s a bit too early for the first day of autumn, but not too soon to enjoy a summer daze.
The calendar is briefly open. Weddings, summer travels, soccer, birthdays, and picnics are ready to be crammed into the margins of July like complex road maps. Crowds are beginning to gather near the neighborhood pools. Sunscreen is at a premium. Baseball fields overflow with several generations of Little League fans. The yellow-green tint of June has changed to deep emerald. Fishermen, joggers, and school children celebrate the changing season and the lingering of each sunset.
Moments rush past the consciousness and crowd the hours. The hasty buzz of increased activity blurs the focus. “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” (Calvin & Hobbes quote). Perhaps, it is time to pause. Bury the errands. Stare at the miracles. Refuel. Renew. Let’s put some fresh cookies in the cookie jar and taste the sweetness of the season.
Lawn mowers growl at the green earth to tame its wild frenzy. The scent of July is in the bleeding grass and the sudden afternoon storm. The heat dances above the surface of the driveway in a humid haze. Birds dash between the random raindrops, still singing. In the first moments of July, the celebration of Independence Day scatters pieces of light among the evening landscape of sky.
Once again, it is July, and as we take pause in the present, let us wait for the surprises of our future. Summer is not the time to entertain fear or engage despair. Wait in hope. Live with joy. Never lose your wonder. For wonder is cheaper than therapy and a calming antidote to cynicism. Remain dazzled by the glory of every new season.
As the calendar gives pause to summer, let us consider the summary of British author Henry James, “Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon … the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
By late spring the strawberries ripen, and the pollen begins to settle. Students of all ages wait restlessly in warm classrooms. Weekends host parades of prom dresses. Summer stands impatiently before us. The season sings of energy, family vacations, sunshine, homemade ice cream, and graduation memories. Time moves us forward into the July heat and the anticipated changes of the season.
Now it’s July. A new batch of fireflies sprinkle the evening air, and bullfrogs blast their low hums against the concert of crickets. The ice melts in my sweet tea. Turtles sunbathe in the pond. Time drifts in busy waves. Minutes scatter like dandelion fluff. Perspiration seems to increase with the passing of each hour. It’s a bit too early for the first day of autumn, but not too soon to enjoy a summer daze.
The calendar is briefly open. Weddings, summer travels, soccer, birthdays, and picnics are ready to be crammed into the margins of July like complex road maps. Crowds are beginning to gather near the neighborhood pools. Sunscreen is at a premium. Baseball fields overflow with several generations of Little League fans. The yellow-green tint of June has changed to deep emerald. Fishermen, joggers, and school children celebrate the changing season and the lingering of each sunset.
Moments rush past the consciousness and crowd the hours. The hasty buzz of increased activity blurs the focus. “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” (Calvin & Hobbes quote). Perhaps, it is time to pause. Bury the errands. Stare at the miracles. Refuel. Renew. Let’s put some fresh cookies in the cookie jar and taste the sweetness of the season.
Lawn mowers growl at the green earth to tame its wild frenzy. The scent of July is in the bleeding grass and the sudden afternoon storm. The heat dances above the surface of the driveway in a humid haze. Birds dash between the random raindrops, still singing. In the first moments of July, the celebration of Independence Day scatters pieces of light among the evening landscape of sky.
Once again, it is July, and as we take pause in the present, let us wait for the surprises of our future. Summer is not the time to entertain fear or engage despair. Wait in hope. Live with joy. Never lose your wonder. For wonder is cheaper than therapy and a calming antidote to cynicism. Remain dazzled by the glory of every new season.
As the calendar gives pause to summer, let us consider the summary of British author Henry James, “Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon … the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
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