Friends,
I wrote these words on the first day of 2018 that felt too hot to be in my office. I turned on my ceiling fan, opened my windows and let myself sweat, just a bit.
I always feel a surge of optimism at the beginning of the summer. Once the weather gets warmish I dream of months to come when I will be wearing shorts and Hawaiian shirts and listening to Jimmy Buffet, or maybe to baseball on the radio while I sip sauvignon blanc and eat stinky soft cheese out on the back porch while my kids play basketball in the waning light at an hour that would be past their bedtimes not so many years ago.
The longer days of summer–and no kids to pick up from school—mean I can take longer bike rides in the afternoons. The season’s fresh vegetables encourage me to cook healthier and tastier meals. Summer makes me healthier and happier.
I suspect this fondness for summer is a vestige of my childhood when the end of school meant long hours exploring the forest behind my childhood home, or riding bikes. Maybe summer gets me nostalgic for my teenaged years when my growing independence and a freedom from academic obligations meant time spent with friends at swimming holes and at the beach, which sounds more wholesome than it probably was, which also could be said of the weeks I spent at Westminster Woods, the Presbyterian summer camp whose ministry shaped me in profound ways.
Regardless of why I love summer, I think my affection for the season is healthy enough to commend to others. It is good to have a season that encourages us to relax and to de-stress and to dream a little bit, a time to practice self-care and to enjoy life. Every season has its fans, and whatever season is your favorite, my prayer for you is that you embrace that season for all the joy and happiness and peace it may bring.
By late August, I may be sick of the warm weather, and I may be looking at scarves and wool sweaters with longing, but for now I am happy summer has begun. There is so much to worry about—our nation is separating children and parents at the southern border and on the northern border our country is laying the groundwork for a cold war with Canada. It stressful, and for that reason, I will embrace the happiness of the season while it is here, and I hope you will as well. It may be the only thing keeping us sane.
God’s Peace,
Ben