Hurray! It's summer

     

     "Joy springs all radiant in my breast.  'Tis wealth enough of joy for me in summer time, to simply be."

— Dunbar

     Hurrah! It's summer! At least my calendar tells me it is, and  the beauty surrounding my patio attests to it. 

     I am glad I live in this hemisphere where I can enjoy four distinct seasons which never fail to showcase their each unique beauty. 

     We've let the Easterners have the sweltering temperatures of July, quite aware our own hot days, forthcoming. 

     To some folk, summer means shining up the RV and hitting the road. 

    
     

     Dave and Carolyn Eagles have been doing just that most weekends, as they have been getting used to their new, 32- ft., travel trailer, exploring the back roads of beautiful B.C. 

     Some folk apply the SPF40 sunscreen and head to the park, the beach or the lake. Others, find it the perfect time to entertain out-of-town visitors — perhaps even having a wedding celebration. 

     Then there are those who prefer what they call a staycation. 
  
     Quite content to hang up a hammock in the backyard, they pull up a lawn chair, go for walks with the dog, enjoy a glass of "something" with ice that clinks against its sides, sprawl in the shade of the patio and crack open a new book — they're satisfied to let the distractions of the world happen to other folk. 

     We know there's lots happening in our world we could feel anxious about, from problems in our own backyard, to Brexit and our counterparts across the pond, to Donald Trump's Triumphs (?). 

     Most of the news leaves us feeling helpless anyway. So, maybe we need to turn off the outside world, if even for a day or so. 

     The term marking time usually means, motion without progress, not getting anywhere, or not doing anything important while you wait. 

     Sometimes we need to embrace these pauses in our lives— often not by choice — such as a job interview result, a medical diagnosis, or longing for the return of a loved one. 

     Having set aside most of my activities for the summer months, I now at times feel I am in that marking time mode. 

     Believing that a busy person never has time to be unhappy or bored, I am usually a person of action. But, "how
  we wait," I believe, is important too. 

     The military command, "mark time, march," means to march in place without moving forward, yet being mentally prepared, expectantly waiting the next command. 

      In the Bible, the word wait often means to look eagerly for, to hope, or, to expect.
  
     So, as I march in place, enjoying peace and solitude — finding pleasure in simple things — I await His next marching orders. 

     I find quiet moments on my patio: reading, listening to the chatter of my bird friends, admiring the dance of the bees and butterflies surrounding my flowers. 

     Creation, with all its facets of beauty, often overwhelms us with an encounter with God, like none other. In God's great outdoors, our eyes, our ears, and our spirits open up to God in ways that cannot happen indoors. 

   

     My Kamloops kids — I'm allowed to still call them that — coming to Kelowna recently, brought smiles to this Grandma's face. It made for a great weekend of family fun. 

     Watching Sarah Letourneau (nee Eagles) and her soccer team beat their opponents at the University of British Columbia Okanagan playing field was a delight! 

     A sunny, Sunday morning saw eight family members enjoying brunch at the quaint Okanagan Centre patio cafe, and later at  nearby Pebble Beach, several family  members demonstrated their  paddle-boarding skills. 

     

Jamie and Karen Osborne enjoy the sunshine.

     Later, we shared a delicious meal later on my outdoor patio. It was a great ending to a perfect day. 

Dave Eagles tries the paddle board.

     As we take time to pause this summer — tuning out distractions and releasing our tensions, —we should then reflect with gratitude and awareness, as we see our blessings right before our eyes.  

     

     When Jesus was on our earth, He recognized the need of withdrawing from the crowds and the busyness of life to a solitary place of rest and quiet to spend time talking to his Father. 

     He encouraged his disciples to do likewise.  

      "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest," he told them.  Mark 6:31  

     What an example for us!  We would do well to heed it.  

— beulah