Slow Days of Summer


Summer always meant visiting my grandparent’s farm. It was a different world—from the small brick building that held a bustling kitchen with its large walk-in refrigerator, to the huge shop that smelled of engines and grease. 

Outbuildings hid farm equipment from past generations and the old barn still smelled of hay and horses, although it had been years since there had been either. 












An ancient hand pump dispensed refreshingly cold well water on the hottest of summer days and the windmill captured the slightest breeze making a creaking sound as it spun.

These were the slow days of summer. School was a distant memory and I could finally relax.







I rode my dad’s old bike with its single gear—up and down wheat field-lined roads. I tamed feral barn cats, collected eggs, picked apricots, and saved a lifetime’s worth of memories.

And just like that, my summer visits ended. There was college, marriage, work, and then a baby. 










One hot day I came back to visit—to recall those slow days of summer. It seemed the same. Walking into the shop I saw Grandpa’s cot where he sometimes napped. 

The familiar engine smell lingered in the air. My dad’s old bike leaned against the barn wall—unridden since I was a teen. Many summers had passed as I’d gone from kid to adult. 

Soon, my grandparents moved and with them my summer traditions were just memories. 










Eventually my kids started summer traditions at their grandparents. Different experiences, but the same unconditional love.










Now I’m continuing the tradition with my grandson. He’s needing what I once needed—a place of respite from pressures and obligations.

While I don’t have a bustling wheat ranch to offer, there’s a beach to explore, peaceful woods, a book series we’re reading together, and an old cabin with a room just for his visits.

Plus online video games—a 21stCentury addition. It’s a different world now. But love remains the same.




I hope he’s storing up memories too. Because, one day, if the Lord is willing, his children can have their own slow days of summer. It’s a tradition worth keeping.



Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.
Proverbs 17:6a

Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more