Here's to Summer, Love and Freedom

  Here we are, poised on the cusp of the Summer Solstice, while also honoring the emancipation of enslaved people in 1865 (Juneteenth) and giving thanks for the love of fathers everywhere. To me, that makes this a very interesting day...a convergence of summer warmth, love and freedom...triple blessings!

When I was a child and during the years when I taught in the public schools, the beginning of summer was like a religious experience--the anticipation of seemingly endless days of freedom and fun brought such elation and joy!  Of course, the joy only lasted a few weeks before boredom set in, but oh that sweet freedom of those first few weeks was magical. Growing up, we always had a pool, so I became like a fish in the summer--alternately swimming and sunning while reading a book. Before the days of sunscreen awareness, we smeared ourselves with baby oil and literally baked for hours (it's a wonder my skin isn't like leather now!)

That wonderful summer freedom feeling is so evident here in the Northeast, where the long winters can really get you down. People take full advantage of the good weather and spend as much time outside as possible. During the pandemic years, outdoor gatherings have been the only safe place to socialize, so it's become habit to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

Today, I'm simply thankful for this time of year, for the freedom it affords us to relax and just be in the sun for awhile, whether having fun with our loved ones or reading a book by the pool...

So, I'll end with some verses from one of my favorite Beatles songs:

Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day

Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine

We take a walk, the sun is shining down
Burns my feet as they touch the ground

Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine

 

 

Be Strong

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). When the way forward seems cloudy and uncertain, when circumstances in our personal lives or the world cause our faith to become shaky, or when we are given a task (as Joshua was in this bible passage) that challenges and scares us, God is with us.

This verse came to me as an answer to prayer this morning. Truthfully, my faith has not been strong lately, and I share that because I believe that we all have periods of doubt in our lives. Who is God, really? Is he a living being or an energy that pervades the universe? Does he/she really care personally about each one of us and if so, how can this be? Our finite minds cannot grasp the enormity of such a Being. 

When I am going through such periods of doubt and my conscious mind is driving me a bit crazy grappling with all these existential questions, I simply remember Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God". I focus on my breath for a few moments and silently repeat these words until a great calm fills me. I know that I cannot answer all the questions and doubts running through my head, but I can rest in these peaceful moments and trust in the assurances that we are given. I can be strong because I know that no matter how frightened I am, God is with me and if I just focus on the present moment and stop obsessively thinking, I will be given these gifts and more.

So: stop, breathe and be still.  Recharge and refuel in the silence. Go forward with courage, trusting that God is with us and will not leave us.

Small Miracles

 It's finally warm enough to sit outside in the garden at first light this morning and as I look around, I am witness to signs of new life everywhere, which fills me with a sense of awe and wonder. There are spring flowers, green new shoots budding with promise, robins busy building nests and a tiny baby rabbit hopping into the shrubbery. These sights fill me with those gifts of the Spirit that give life meaning...peace, joy and hope.

Who hasn't held a newborn baby, a kitten or a puppy and been filled with a sublime rush of wonder at the miracle of life?  We are fascinated by videos of kittens or baby monkeys; enchanted by adorable creatures in miniature.

If you really think about the process of creation, it is very humbling and awe-inspiring. To think that an egg and a sperm united can become a child, or a seed that appears dead can sprout and grow when given water, soil and sunlight, should surely make us acutely aware that there must be a Creator. The Intelligent Designer behind it all has made an endless array of living beings, each one a small miracle.

We live on a beautiful planet, inhabited by beautiful beings and this morning, I am especially grateful. Just for today, I will release my worries about war and injustice, hatred and crime, poverty and pain. I will choose to see "whatever is excellent or praiseworthy"; I will give thanks for the miracle of new life and the hope that it can inspire in me.