“To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle…”

~Walt Whitman

June 21st, the longest day of the year.  And the first official day of summer!  Summer–with all it’s glorious, sticky, fire-fly, thunderstorm, up-late days that seem to stretch luxuriously in front of us from this June vantage point.  Of course, they don’t, and just when I think the North Carolina heat is going to make me lose my mind, the days dim, the temperatures dip, and we ease into the next season.  But for now, summer’s glory unfurls before us, and I’ll admit to feeling hopeful on this day.  So,  in honor of this longest day, I’m going to make some summer vows.

This summer I will:

• swim three times a week
• take my daughter mini-golfing for the first time
• go on a beach getaway with my husband
• explore the trails along the Eno river with my dog
• buy as much food from the farmer’s market as I can
• plant more flowers than I know what to do with
• make some beautiful arrangements to give to friends with all those said flowers
• go to multiple outdoor concerts (I’ve already gone to one!)
• re-learn how to hula hoop
• eat salad fresh from my own garden
• have friends over and make s’mores in the back yard
• exercise more, and focus on building strength
• read a novel
• host a cookout for my church small group

That seems like a pretty good start, anyway.  My, is summer ever going to be FULL of goodness and fun!  But fun aside, there is something about a new season that speaks to me.  Sure, you can look at it as just another turn of the calendar–inevitable and unremarkable–but for me it reminds me that I get to begin anew.  I am not determined solely by my past choices, good or bad.  As Christians, we get to begin again in Christ at any moment, but I am someone who sometimes needs external reminders of that truth.  So the start of a new season reminds me that God’s mercies are new EVERY morning!

What do you need to be reminded of on this first day of summer?  

What hopes do you have for this next season of your life?

–Caren Swanson

(Top image by flickr user dbnunly, lower image by flick user FreeWine, with text added by Caren Swanson.  Both images used with permission via Creative Commons)