"Aaah, summer - that long anticipated
stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of
responsibility and rife with possibility..."
stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of
responsibility and rife with possibility..."
~ Darell Hammond ~
"Time to rise and shine and get ready for school you two!" My son popped right out of bed, while my daughter needed a little more encouragement. Without opening her eyes, she groaned, "How many more days?" I said, "Oh, summer will be here soon enough." I then kissed her forehead, and lovingly whisked away the covers. They went through the routine of eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing hair and teeth. My son was excited about going to the zoo, and produced a zoo-themed art project to praise. My daughter reminisced about her own 1st grade zoo trip and summed it up with, "You're pretty much gonna love it." We prayed together, then they ran to the end of our driveway to chat and wait. I poured a cup of coffee and heard the bus slow and stop. I waved and they waved back as I lost sight of them down the road.
Where just minutes before there was hustle and bustle, now there was only silence. I looked down and noticed the wisps of steam rolling off my coffee. I admired them while appreciating how the pretty blue and white mug warmed my hands. Glancing out front at the garden, I noticed more purple blooms than yesterday, as well as more green. Note to self: pick flowers and pull weeds... after finishing coffee.
This morning routine will only last for a few more days, then we'll be on to summer vacation. I'm relieved. Although I appreciate the quiet and regained sense of independence when they're in school, it'll be nice to have the kids back home in the nest. There's another kind of freedom and peace in that. Most days we'll have nowhere to be. When we stay home, we'll have a picnic lunch or go for a nature hike in the woods. We might take a bouquet of flowers to the neighbors and return with a bag of green beans or a carton of eggs. Other days, we'll go swimming with friends, go to a 4-H meeting, or a learning activity at the library.
Aaah, summer - that season when I am reminded of the younger years: younger kids, a younger me. It'll be good to slow down and savor these: the long, lazy days, childhood, and motherhood. All filled with possibility.
Good to see you!! you write wonderfully - I was right there with you!! I miss that kind of Spring. The smell, the colors, the bloomings, bird song ahhhhh....
ReplyDeleteFlorida has Spring for about 8 hours - then, the heat is on. Sigh.....
Thanks Diane!! It's been awhile since I've really written! Glad to hear you enjoyed reading it :)
DeleteThe salvia is what's blooming in the garden... it's the closest thing to lavender I can grow, and it grows like a weed... albeit a very pretty one. Today we were in the 60's, so a little on the chilly side for this time of year. Supposed to be warming up for the unofficial start of summer on Monday :)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Hi Megan.... All I can say is WOW.... I have enjoyed seeing and "pinning" your lovely creations so others could find you and enjoy all that you share, BUT I didn't know you could really, really write... like short story and novel kind of writing! I'm so impressed and a little jealous all at the same time, lol.... a wonderful and pleasant read, thank you :)
ReplyDeletep.s... We're having a chilly snap here in my part of TX, too. It's suppose to be around 80, but we had a record 'low' high today of 55... I am actually sitting here typing this with a floor heater about 3 feet from me!
Hi, Paula! I'm honored to see that you have a Pinterest board for my artwork ~ thank you :) Yes, actually I started this blog by writing short stories about my family, eventually scanned my drawings and paintings. I sort of just stumbled into digital art! Writing this was a bit like returning to my roots. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the read :)
DeleteOh, and I understand the floor heater! I was wearing a sweater all day :)
Hi Megan, I really enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing your thoughts, took me back to when my kids were younger. :) and the anticipation of summer. Yes, still possibility exists.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lucy! As we get older, I have to remind myself these will someday be our "younger years." :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful life. :)
ReplyDeleteHugs from Canada,
Teresa
It's a beautiful life, indeed :)
DeleteThanks for your visit, Teresa
makes me reminisce although I'm happy to say I still have a few I pray and wave to, even though they are 14 and 17....honestly, sometimes it feels like all I do is pray and wave;-)
ReplyDeletethank-you for your visit today. We have one more mo. of school before our summer officially starts but it will be nice to pull back a little! I enjoyed the stroll through your morning...sounds a lot like mine right down to 'enjoy the flowers and weeding!'
It was nice stopping by! Now we're down to 2 days :) This morning they were lounging around ~ had to remind them school's not quite over yet ;)
DeleteYesterday, I brought in 3 stalks of (scented) dark purple irises, and got most of the weeds out of the front bed full of poison-ivy. It was a success, because today I only have a little on my wrists ;)
What a beautifully written post, Megan. It brought me back to the years when my own two were little and I was joyfully counting down the days until summer. I couldn't understand why so many moms dreaded its arrival and started their own joyful countdown in August, as the first day of school was approaching. I felt blessed to be able to stay at home with my children and cherished every moment I could spend with them. Thank you for bringing me back to those days.♥
ReplyDelete