A tiny ball of feline fluff has taken up residence in our garage. She moved in at the invitation of our youngest, herself a petite bundle of boundless energy. Our girlie made the little grey cat a bed, set up a feeding station, and installed a litter box, and then she set up a pup tent for herself. For two weeks she slept in a sleeping bag on a concrete floor because right now her energy is focused on waiting for the arrival of the summer’s kittens.
Kittens don’t always arrive in the long glory days of summer. Sometimes they’re born in September and in September there would be no sleeping on the concrete floor. In July, though, she can afford a few fitful nights. She can sleep late because summer, with its long, school-free days offers up time to her–and to us–as a gift.
September’s song tells us that there’s too much going on, too much need to wake early, ready for school, for dance, for whatever the calendar says is next. Summer sings a different melody, one of space, of simple pleasures, of growth. While it’s a different song, it isn’t always easy.
It takes an effort to, as Emily Freeman says, take the changes of the seasons and apply them to our lives.
Sometimes it seems easier declare an immediate “no” to tents in the garage and “later” to twilight walks with the family and impromptu conversations on our rock wall with my husband. Sometimes it seems more important to keep on doing All The Usual Things and just try to balance all the summer extras on top. And sometimes, when the end comes–whether it’s the end of summer or a little one’s childhood, I wonder why I feel as though I missed it. Or lost it. Or wasted it.
Summer’s not gone. It’s still offering up long days, warm nights, time in a different form. We can still take the changes of summer and apply them to life, to today and tomorrow.
Why does summer matter to you?
Sharing Why Summer Matters at Small Wonders and Thought Provoking Thursday.
Sometimes I find myself giving those automatic “no’s” too. But I want to be more of a “yes” person all the time. Thanks, Natalie, for the reminder to slow down. We live in a Sabbath rest!
Yes, we most certainly do.
Ooooh. I feel the end of summer pinching in like shoes a size too small. 4 weeks until school starts in again! It’s the lack of squeeze that I most value in summer. We keep to a pretty close bedtime schedule because I need to down time in the evenings and don’t like shepherding grumpy kids, but there’s still less of a press. No homework, no backpacks to fill, sneakers to find, etc.
Now that we’re winding down I want to reevaluate our summer and make sure to get in a little more watermelon, swimming, and anything else that’s missing. Thanks for linking up with #SmallWonder.
The summer pinch, yes. We’re trying to get every ounce of good out of our summer to. Enjoy all of those things you want to get more of!
This is my family’s first summer at a new post – and we are well away from the heat and humidity visiting the midwest and the south. The days have been balmy and wonderfully cool to my desert-trained body. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the fall – for some reason, August doesn’t even seem to be part of my calendar. I wonder why? Your post reminded me again that September is right around the corner – then my favorite season when leaves put on their finery. I’ll have to take more pictures, because winter – up here in the north country – is definitely fierce. Beautiful and fierce. I enjoyed reading your post today – I am your neighbor at Small Wonders
As sad as I always am to see summer slip away, I am looking for fall’s finery myself.
Summer is my favourite season. I love the long evenings and carefree days. I love the green lushness. I love berry-picking and sea-side picnics. I always feel like it’s going too fast!
Those are wonderful elements of summer to love. And I agree, it goes too fast indeed.
Summer in Montana–a time for friend and family visitors, tourists, a different season of frenetic. Carving out time, as the sun rises at 5:15 or watching it set at 9:45, gives pause to the crazy to reflect on the gift of this earth God has given. Time to remember: Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind. (Eccl 4:6) A time to lay on the garage floor and await the gift of life. Children do tend to know what is most important in this life–amazing what we lose when we “grow up” and take ourselves so seriously. Summer–a time to revisit the wisdom of youth, slow down, and observe, smell the flowers, skip along the path, and know we are loved beyond all understanding. (Eph. 2:4) Smile in the sunshine!
Well I just love that, Joy! I’ll be thinking about revisiting the wisdom of youth for awhile, I know, turning that over in my mind, just as I think about what it means to have faith like a child. And I’ll be contemplating Ecclesiastes 4:6, too. Ecclesiastes is on my “to read” list this summer, but I’m not done with Peter yet. I’m thankful for you, my friend.