Summer meant cicadas, lightning bugs, days exploring along creekbeds, playing with friends outside. Now, in my mid- fifties, Summer is endured. My days, no matter the earthly season are spent wondering where we are in the spiritual time-line. Curiosity only, my spirit knows the season, not the day or the hour but the season As I walk one of my many dogs in the coolness of the morning I look up and wonder what that trumpet call of God will actually sound like. Every season now is one of anticipation.
Me tooo, Alyssa: where are we in the spiritual timeline? Only it’s physical too. We shall hear a real trumpet! Or many! I listen especially during Rosh Hashana in September, the Feast of Trumpets. This year it’s the 22-24th. 👏☺️
Thank you for the comments re: A Farewell to Arms. It took me back to my frustration with plowing through it (yes it felt like tough manual labor) in Honors English 10. Though perhaps poor performance on reading quizzes with questions such as “Which tire on the jeep got stuck in the mud in chapter x?” may have been one huge reason I developed a dislike for the book. So let’s blame my teacher, named Faulkner ironically. He did become one of my favorite teachers when I took AP English my senior year, thankfully.
I read A Farewell to Arms in Honors English 10, too! But I liked it then. Maybe I wasn't paying attention to how basically nothing happened, and the long descriptions of where they went and what they drank. I don't know.
Reading quizzes like that are ridiculous, honestly. I'm glad your English teacher was able to redeem himself!
Thank you for this, Rebecca! I am going to enjoy the remainder of the summer with you even from so many miles away.
Summer to me means long days, sticky nights when you long for a puff of cooler air, lemonade, rhubarb and strawberries, sand and sailing and hermit crabs,fireflies and playing outside until dark, walking bare toes in the grass, open windows, green, leafy trees, and the sound of the wind blowing through them.
Hi, Rebecca! Summers where I now live are hot, humid, and not my fav! I do love to remember summers as a kid: few responsibilities, rest from schoolwork, hanging out at the neighborhood pool, and the long, lazy, days. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and have a great school year!
It’s good to hear from you again, Rebecca! I’m glad you took a break. Summer for me comes with some alliteration. 😄 I think of it as a slowing and a stretching. We are generally crammed into the busy schedules of the school year (September-June), but summer slows that down some with fewer demands, and as a result, I feel like I get to stretch and expand into the days more organically than a regimented schedule allows. I love it, and I’m grateful that my particular situation allows me to fully enjoy what’s on offer, but not everyone can. My husband’s work, for example, has no lighter seasons. Disease does not follow a school schedule or take breaks for holidays, and that reality reminds me to be grateful for all the seasonal living I get to enjoy. Praying for you as you kick off a new school year! 🩷
I like summer as a slowing and stretching. That certainly resonates with me! And no, disease doesn't follow any type of schedule, does it? I'm grateful for your husband and the work he does.
And I'm grateful to you for reading and responding here. Always so good to hear from you!
The summer reading program/contest when I was a child was a big part of summer, and summertime felt like the ultimate stretch of time to consume and enjoy as many books as possible! I still love to mark the beginning of summer with a trip to the library to check out a stack of books, some that I won't ever get to reading. :-)
Summer meant cicadas, lightning bugs, days exploring along creekbeds, playing with friends outside. Now, in my mid- fifties, Summer is endured. My days, no matter the earthly season are spent wondering where we are in the spiritual time-line. Curiosity only, my spirit knows the season, not the day or the hour but the season As I walk one of my many dogs in the coolness of the morning I look up and wonder what that trumpet call of God will actually sound like. Every season now is one of anticipation.
This is beautiful, Alyssa. I love that last line: "Every season is now one of anticipation."
So good to hear from you, my friend. Thank you for being here.
Me tooo, Alyssa: where are we in the spiritual timeline? Only it’s physical too. We shall hear a real trumpet! Or many! I listen especially during Rosh Hashana in September, the Feast of Trumpets. This year it’s the 22-24th. 👏☺️
Thank you for the comments re: A Farewell to Arms. It took me back to my frustration with plowing through it (yes it felt like tough manual labor) in Honors English 10. Though perhaps poor performance on reading quizzes with questions such as “Which tire on the jeep got stuck in the mud in chapter x?” may have been one huge reason I developed a dislike for the book. So let’s blame my teacher, named Faulkner ironically. He did become one of my favorite teachers when I took AP English my senior year, thankfully.
I read A Farewell to Arms in Honors English 10, too! But I liked it then. Maybe I wasn't paying attention to how basically nothing happened, and the long descriptions of where they went and what they drank. I don't know.
Reading quizzes like that are ridiculous, honestly. I'm glad your English teacher was able to redeem himself!
Thank you for this, Rebecca! I am going to enjoy the remainder of the summer with you even from so many miles away.
Summer to me means long days, sticky nights when you long for a puff of cooler air, lemonade, rhubarb and strawberries, sand and sailing and hermit crabs,fireflies and playing outside until dark, walking bare toes in the grass, open windows, green, leafy trees, and the sound of the wind blowing through them.
Such a lovely list. Thank you for reading and responding.
Hi, Rebecca! Summers where I now live are hot, humid, and not my fav! I do love to remember summers as a kid: few responsibilities, rest from schoolwork, hanging out at the neighborhood pool, and the long, lazy, days. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and have a great school year!
Your summers these days sound like mine. Honestly, the summer is the thing I like least about living in North Carolina, but what are you going to do?
Thanks so much for reading and responding and for these wishes for the upcoming year!
Shann: lost freedom. No longer is there a rythm of rest for that part of the year.
Sarah: rest, along with the continual feeling of ‘I should be doing something.’
Glad to have you back, Rebecca! But as I missed your newsletter this summer, I was glad you were taking a break from this too!
Haha! You and Shann are on opposing pages regarding summer, aren't you?! But somehow you make it work.
Thank you for missing my newsletter. That's a blessing. And thanks for reading and responding! It's so good to hear from you and Shann!
It’s good to hear from you again, Rebecca! I’m glad you took a break. Summer for me comes with some alliteration. 😄 I think of it as a slowing and a stretching. We are generally crammed into the busy schedules of the school year (September-June), but summer slows that down some with fewer demands, and as a result, I feel like I get to stretch and expand into the days more organically than a regimented schedule allows. I love it, and I’m grateful that my particular situation allows me to fully enjoy what’s on offer, but not everyone can. My husband’s work, for example, has no lighter seasons. Disease does not follow a school schedule or take breaks for holidays, and that reality reminds me to be grateful for all the seasonal living I get to enjoy. Praying for you as you kick off a new school year! 🩷
I like summer as a slowing and stretching. That certainly resonates with me! And no, disease doesn't follow any type of schedule, does it? I'm grateful for your husband and the work he does.
And I'm grateful to you for reading and responding here. Always so good to hear from you!
Love this Rebecca! Wishing you a wonderful school year! and I am still holding on to summer too!
Thanks so much, Donna!
The summer reading program/contest when I was a child was a big part of summer, and summertime felt like the ultimate stretch of time to consume and enjoy as many books as possible! I still love to mark the beginning of summer with a trip to the library to check out a stack of books, some that I won't ever get to reading. :-)