For The Summer

Summer is a time when the world seems to slow down for a bit.  Maybe it is because school is out for kiddos, the heat is exhausting and long, there are a few holidays in there that make for some three day weekends, and typically, more time spent with family and friends.  For me, summer is far from slow at work, in fact, work picks up quite briskly which really stinks when the rest of the world is basking in the sun, resting up for the fall, and getting back into the groove of things.  To be honest with you, I miss those summer days when life was a little more carefree.

When I was in high school my summers consisted of working 40 hours a week, a summer reading list for AP English, and a little summer romance along the way.  It was a simple time and something to do in between the arduous school year of AP and honors classes.  It was time that I learned how to work for other people, to make friends with people who were older than me, and to have my eyes opened to what college could potentially be for me.  I liked what I saw and am thankful for that opportunity.

In college, summer was a time when a lot of my friends went back home.  Then as we all got to be older, and my friends stayed to take summer classes, be involved in the "other education", and to work.  For me, my college summers will always be working--as much as I could, taking a class or two in the first summer session, and then having the rest of the summer to prepare for Fish Camp and whatever Class Council committee it was that I was leading that year.  It was a time to have a little fun, cook out with my friends, have long talks in the park, have a little summer romance are two, and prepare for the upcoming fall semester.  I miss those days.  I miss those friends.  I miss how simple life was then when my greatest concern was how was I ever going to get through Math 142.

Now my summers are not nearly that simple or easy, but I like what I see around me that I didn't have in those summers from long ago.  I look around and see a husband, a daughter, a home, a job, and the blessings that God has given me.  All of these, I never imagined in those summers of years gone by.  People , places, and things I had not even begun to dream up yet.  And now I am blessed with these summer days when I can take a moment to sit back, relax, and let the good times roll (that was for you Sean).  Amazing how perspectives change, isn't it?

Weekly Music Inspiration: "For The Summer"--Ray LaMontagne

On another note, my friends Kelli and Summer have been telling me to check out Ray LaMontagne for quite some time.  I am so happy that I did as I have found this little gem of a song that I can not get out of my head.  Thank you ladies!