Summer Twenty Fourteen...

It seems as though any and all profound words I may have written here have leaked out of my mind, like water through a sieve.  I blame it on summer.  It insists on racing on by and I'm in a tug-o-war holding on to it with all my might, refusing to let the summer race on without me savoring the sweet nectar out of each warm, sunny day.

Just how many summers do you get in a lifetime?  Only one exactly like this one.  Only one where sunny day follows one after another without northwest Oregon's usual rainy interruptions.  Only one where it seems like each watermelon I've eaten tastes just exactly like a watermelon should taste, like summer in a bite. Only one "the summer I turned 57", or "the summer my oldest granddaughter was eleven" or "the summer my oldest grandson was ten", or "the summer our two youngest granddaughters were five and two", or "our youngest grandson's very first summer". So I've let myself become fully immersed in the here and now of summer twenty fourteen. I'm refusing to share it with any worry, anxiety or fear about the rain and storms that the future may hold.  I'm taking literally the words of Jesus and refusing to worry about tomorrow.  Why let what may or may not be ahead rob me of what is right here right now on this beautiful, hot, sunny ninth of July?

Yes, I have responsibilities and commitments that I must take care of.  God still expects me to take care of the tasks at hand and do them well and wholeheartedly, even if the summer day is beckoning to me temptingly.  No, I'm not an ostrich with my head buried in the sand.  I'm well aware of the precarious state of our country and our world.  I'm not in my own little world pretending that if I don't pay attention to what is going on around me it will go away.  Can I still be sober minded, my spirit alert, awake and aware, my whole heart willing to obey whatever God asks of me, while still being head over heels crazy in love with this summer evening in my own backyard in Portland, Oregon?  I hope so.  I think so.

What I know for sure is that my heart is full to bursting with gratitude for this day, this summer, this life I've been blessed with.  Have I had heartache and troubles?  Absolutely.  More than many, less than most.  But blessed? You betcha'!  To quote a famous financial advisor, "way better than I deserve"!

And so I end this not so profound post with an invite to you to share your own love of summer in the comments.  

Here are some of the things I love about summer...

-root beer floats

-trips to the river

-backyard wading pools, sprinklers and water fights

-eating al fresco

-backyard firepit s'mores

-cold watermelon

-vay-kay-shun!!!

-family reunions

-trips to the beach

-no school for the grandkids

-berry and/or rhubarb crisps

-light until after 9pm

-my skin a bit more brown

-saltwater sandals!

-devotions outdoors in the sun

-hydrangeas and roses and lavender and daisies and...

-london broil, marinated and grilled, medium rare

-corn on the cob

-making jam with fresh local berries

-peaches

-iced tea

-flip flops

-cotton sundresses and skirts

And now it's your turn!

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