Summer refreshes me. I get more energy and tend to get bigger projects done (or at least a big chunk of the work completed). Yet I also slow down a bit in summer, savoring its goodness found in the garden, the weather, the travel.
I paused this week and pondered what is life-giving right now to my soul. Appreciating these gifts helps to prepare for the busy upcoming autumn and the darker season of winter. Here are five things I am loving this summer:
- Movies on live streaming. I tend not to be a movie watcher, but several movies/series have captivated me this year. Project Hail Mary, the Sheep Detectives, The Chosen (rewatching for the umpteenth time from the beginning) and Five Star Weekend. Creative, fun, imaginative, a few tears, and full of hope.
- Meteors – Each August shooting stars race across the night sky. I long for a few clear nights and then sit outside anxiously anticipating a show. They always surprise me. I gasp. I smile. I am amazed at God’s wonder. I read that most meteors are no larger than a particle of dust, or grain of sand. Yet they travel at incredible velocity of 37 miles per second, creating a fiery path. Amazing!
- Roses. Last year all of my rose bushes didn’t bloom well but this year they are back to showing off their colors and beauty.
- Morning coffee on the backyard deck – Just this morning it was sunny and a bit less humid so coffee on the swing on the backyard beckoned me. Jesus and I just talk a little. Then we quietly sit together savoring summer.
- Long summer days. The extended amount of daylight nourishes my soul. I love the long summer days between sunrise and sunset. When light hangs around longer than usual, it’s amazing how many tasks, activities, and experiences are possible. I know Seasonal Affective Disorder affects me during the dreary dark wintertime, so I relish the sunlight. Its warmth. Its life-giving.
This pause to consider and list what I am loving right now fills me with gratitude and hope.
How about you? What are you enjoying this time of year?
Some of the summertime pleasures I always look forward to match some of yours, Jean: 1. Time on the deck, especially early morning before it gets too hot. 2. Flowers here, there, and everywhere–even in pots and hanging baskets along city streets. 3. Farm-fresh produce, like sweet corn, tomatoes, and peaches. 4. Firelflies winking good-night in the trees. 5. Movies enjoyed in the A.C.–like A Great Awakening, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and A Man Called Ove. I’m going to check out the ones you listed, Jean. The summer isn’t over yet!