June is the beginning of the hot, lazy days of summer in the northern hemisphere. A season of weddings, reunions, picnics, and parties.
End-of-school-year celebrations and graduations into new adventures!
The beginning of lake swimming, camping, barbecues and continual bare feet.
Hot days and humid nights.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Spring flowers give way to summer blooms and the scents of blossoms fill the breeze.
Trees full and heavy with buds and blossoms hold the promise of a fall fruit harvest.
Planting gardens and picking spring bounty of strawberries and asparagus.
Tart, tangy rhubarb and sweet, juicy strawberries baked into pies or eaten fresh from the earth.
The big, fragrant head of peony flowers as they hang heavy with the anticipation of blooming. They wait on the beautiful, waxy leaves of the bushes, to explode into a sweet and delicate version of what my mother always called “the poor man’s rose”.
June is a bittersweet month of memories for me, with both beginnings and endings, new opportunities and closures.
It is the month I first became a mother when my daughter was born. This year she celebrates 31 years on this planet. Happy memories of summer birthday parties, swimming, and picnics.
A celebration of fathers, the ones we were born from and the ones we’ve chosen. And acknowledging God our ultimate Father who loves us deeply and longs to have a relationship with us.
June is also the month we lost our son, as we released him into the arms of Jesus three years ago. We remember his life with gladness and rejoice in the years he was part of our family and the many lessons he taught us during that time. But we miss him, his death left a gap in our family. The memories are bittersweet as we miss his presence in our lives.
Last year we moved from our home of 27 years, across the country to begin a new chapter in our lives. We miss the “familiar” but embrace the “new”.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot" Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
And now…..
Close your eyes and listen. Hear the rustling breeze, the chattering birds, and the children playing outside, and enjoy the sounds of summer.
Breathe deeply and smell the scent of freshly mown grass, the sweet blossoms bursting forth, and the fresh air flowing in your open window.
Touch the sand with your bare toes, wiggle your feet into the cool grass, and relish the lapping of water as you embark on a refreshing summer swim.
Open your eyes and see the bright blue of the summer sky, the puffy white clouds as they float by, and the vivid colours of nature created by the God of the universe.
What are you celebrating today?
Give thanks for successful endings and joyful beginnings.
Breathe in the new, breathe out the old and rejoice!
