(Excerpt)
Just the other day when my husband got off he fired up the grill. There were hotdogs, burgers, and marinated chicken. The kids were jumping on the trampoline laughing and playing. My five year old yelled out, “This is the best day ever.” It warmed my heart, but I thought to myself this is how our days have been. That’s when it hit me. I had become so focused in the monotony of the days, that I almost missed it. Summer isn’t just a season, meant for beaches, Dollywood, splash pads, swimming pools, and going out every day. No, those aren’t the things that make up a summer.
Summer is a feeling.
What if it’s a feeling made up of all the fleeting, seemingly ordinary moments right here, right now?
It’s the feeling of wrapping little bodies in towels after being in the pool.
It’s the feeling of the sunshine hitting your skin as soon as you step outside.
It’s the feeling of biting into a fresh watermelon.
It’s the feeling of curling up inside getting lost in a good book, as the summer rain pours outside.
It’s the feeling of rushing to get some change as soon as you hear the familiar melody of the ice-cream truck.
It’s the feeling of cold chills and brain freezes while enjoying every bite of that ice cream.
It’s the feeling of reliving all your childhood memories as the kids run barefoot through the yard.
It’s the feeling of slathering on sunscreen.
It’s the feeling of those first few sips of ice cold water on a hot day.
It’s the feeling of watching all the lightning bugs illuminate the night.
It’s the feeling of going to bed bone tired but so grateful for a day well spent.
And no matter how different things may be this summer, those feelings will remain.
It took hearing my 5 year old shout those sweet words to remind me, that there’s such a sweet surrender in laying down the way I “think” things should look. There’s beauty in the mundane. There’s gratitude in unwrapping the days ahead as gifts meant to be savored.
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