In the famous song of George and Ira Gershwin entitled 'Summertime', the lyrics tout that summertime is 'when the livin' is easy'. What comes to my mind in regards to 'easy livin' in the Summer is my childhood. It amazes me how the brain can go into deja vu mode by a mere scene, smell, sound, activity...so many different ways we travel back in time by remembering. And how my mind wandered back to easy livin' in the Summer while I was out riding my bike on the rail trail this past week. It was nearing sundown, there was a warm breeze, and I was flying by open farm fields as I went down the trail. Flash back! It hit me that quick, and I was about 9 or 10 again, playing in the field next to my home, running around catching fireflies and putting them in a mason jar. There they came to their demise (they never lived through the night it seemed, no matter how many holes we put in the top of the jar lid), but they provided a little blurb of light and something to watch while we laid in bed. This memory led to other ones..... sleeping every night in a sleeping bag on my brother's floor with fans blasting and Ben, Drew, and I laughing for hours about the stupidest things (or about each other).....T-ball and baseball games all Summer....weeks of swimming lessons..... hours upon hours mowing grass.....weeding the garden and having dirt clod wars with my brothers....planting, watering, and weeding 500 pumpkin plants for Mr. Boese so he could give the bus kids at his church a halloween pumpkin.....swimming in our pond with the neighbors....riding on big logs and calling them 'alligators'.....bike rides.....week as a camper at Barakel.....VBS....Tigers baseball and trading baseball cards.... Yep, it's amazing how just one memory can trickle down and welcome in many more. Somehow, those chapters in life seem to close without you really stopping to take notice, and then in retrospect, you see how they were such good chapters in the story of your life.... and how even in remembering, they bring richness to life right now. Those old chapters close, and new ones...different,but good ones...open up. Childhood summers led to summers working at Camp Barakel, and missions trips, and making new friends, and going to new places, and learning more about myself, God, and my place in His world. As I think about how there seem to be certain chapters of my life right now that are closing, and not quite being sure of all of the "where's/when's/how's/who's" details that will open up in the next chapter, I'm beginning to realize even more how much faith is to be lived out in all ways for those 'in between' spaces, when you're not quite sure what to do next in between the old chapter and the unfolding of the new one. And, I appreciate more fully the exhortations "Be still and know that I am God", and "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
I didn't really plan on using this post in a 'serious vein', but I guess I've rabbit-trailed once again. Actually, I was hoping to hear back from people regarding their Summertime memories as kids; thought it'd be interesting to hear what your highlights were, as well as encourage parents to make the best of the time they have with their kids during those 3 LOOONG months of Summer when, for the kiddos at least, the livin' is easy-schmeezy.
