The Summer of the Here and Now

I love the change of seasons, no matter which season approaches.  The Fall with its changing leaves, new schoolyear, cool breezes, soups, cobblers, and football is a welcome relief after the hectic, heated days of Summer.  Even Winter is exciting, as it heralds the arrival of Christmastime, (occasional) pristine snows, and hot chocolate.  The Spring is no different, breaking through the chilly Winter with flowers and sunshine and the promise of new life.  And certainly the beginning of Summer is full of promise--of relief from routine, of trips to the beach, playtime outside, and of course long, hot days.  Everything is teeming with life in the Summer, it seems. 

As I purchased pumpkins for a Fall display this week, I realized that I am surely in the Summer of my life.  The days are full, hot, and sometimes leave me with the exhausted sting of sunburned skin.  I feel the need to squeeze every ounce of wonder out of the fleeting days.  Sometimes I am tempted to anticipate the Fall, when order and routine prevail and there may even be time for reading by a fire.  But today, there is no time and pandemonium abounds. 

At the beginning of Summer, I eagerly anticipated the changes brought by marriage and little ones.  And now I find myself in the heat of mid-June rather than the warmth of May.  The Spring of youth seems to have passed in a moment.  But I am surrounded by giggles and squeals, a world of imagination and fun, and I am so grateful.  Surely the autumn of life will be wonderful, but part of its glory will be the warm memory of fun-filled Summer days.

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons..."