Ah, sweet Summer, here you are. You've arrived at our doorstep like a long-lost relative home for an overdue reunion. You've brought your warmth and your shining spirit. You've brought a sigh of relief, a loosening of the reins of life, and the promise of relaxation and joy.In your well-worn luggage, you've surely brought favorites that we adore: the bright sun, the deep green leaves, open skies, and yard after yard of summer flowers. You've brought birdsong and roses and fireflies. You've brought early mornings and languid afternoons and sunsets that spill late into night. And surely you've brought little gems of lettuce and sweet basil and ripe berries that are made of earth and light. We rise up in anticipation of all the glories that you bring.
Oh Summer, dear friend, how can we love you well this year? How can we welcome you into our grateful arms? How can we position ourselves in the path of your light? How can we heed your invitation to ripen, to sweeten, to bloom? And how can we live this season so fully that when September arrives, we know in our bones that we haven't squandered this opportunity to grow full in our own summer light?
We can be present, for starters. We can commit to being here for the brightest show on earth. We can keep our hearts settled in the here and now, the only place where summer will truly bloom. We can commit to spending at least a little time each day savoring the season's sweetest gifts. We can pinch ourselves from time to time. We can remember that this, too, shall pass, and knowing this, we can savor every sparkling summer moment we are given.
And, of course, we can rejoice. We can say yes to every invitation to savor summer's light. We can wander barefoot in the garden and kneel down to inhale the sweetness of the lilies. We can spread out a blanket in the grass and practice the fine art of cloud-watching. We can reacquaint ourselves with thick novels and iced tea and naps in the shade. We can dirty our knuckles in the garden and then cleanse our souls in the spine-tingling waters that beckon all about us. And then we can stay up late enough to become a kid again, delighting in the fireflies' twinkling show.
We are wise enough to know, dear Summer, that along with all your glories you will surely bring surprises. Thunderstorms, for sure, and the possibility of even more dangerous weather. Eclipses of many sorts. The waxing and waning of the moon, the blazes of mid-July, and the shift in light that beckon's summer's end.The opening and closing of flowers and relationships and perhaps even lives. May we be wise enough to welcome them all - even those that make us tremble. And may we embrace all you bring as an opportunity to shepherd us toward ever-greater wisdom and love. May we unwrap every last gift you pull from your luggage made of light.Here is my wish for us all, this summer: May we soak up all the glories this season may bring us. May we rise up. May our spirits bloom into fullest flower. May we embrace ray of light and joy that falls upon us. May we love deeply and cultivate the bonds that hold us all together. May we weather the inevitable storms steadiness and with grace. May we grow wise in summer's light and may we grow full in summer's vital flame. May we love every moment of this easy time, and may we live it well.
And so, welcome, dear old Summer. We are so very happy to have you back, and you are so very welcome in our lives. May we embrace the widest reach of who you are and what you bring. May we shine brightly in health and joy for every long, open, free and easy summer day we are blessed to share.
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