It's officially summer here, meaning my grandkids are out of school and may be stopping by during the day now instead of evenings and weekends. Time to stock up on popsicles, ice cream bars, fruit snacks, rootbeer, and well, maybe something healthy here and there too.
It's time to check the bucket of sidewalk chalk--and make sure there are plenty of good colors, drag out the scooters, and put air in the wagon wheel tires. Pop-its and fireworks will soon be available. They'll be asking for those too. Oh, and of course we can't forget the bubbles! There must be plenty of bubble solution!
Water. Is there anything better on a hot summer day than water? Specifically kids and water? Now, we have neighbors next door to us and across the street that have pools. But we don't. That's ok though, because we discovered a year or two ago that we could buy a blow up pool for about twenty five bucks and our grandkids would have hours and hours of fun! Then when they were done, the lawn had a nice soaking.
There are a lot of fun things that go along with summer but one of my favorite is time sitting on our front porch. We don't take as much time as we should to be there, but when we are there, it is treasured time. Sunday evenings are an especially delightful time. We often fix ourselves a tray of cheese, crackers, and fruit and settle in to be entertained by the hummingbirds and finches. Neighbors and friends walk by and sometimes they even stop and visit for a bit. We are fortunate that, even though we live in the middle of a busy valley, we are on a relatively quiet street. It is a great blessing to know our neighbors. Our kids grew up with their kids. We have a history together.
Kurt Vonnegut is credited with saying "Enjoy the little things in life because one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things". The older I get, the more I realize how true that is. On their own, sidewalk chalk, scooters, bubbles and a blow up swimming pool may not be that big of a deal. But when they are combined with cousins, friends, and holidays, they become memories.
Summer (like every other season) is a busy time. We hope you will consciously be aware of and find joy in the little things. Before long you will realize that they truly are the "big" things.
Happy June!
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