Summer Reflections

 

 These are the lush days---the days when the greens are the deepest, the foliage is its thickest, and life often feels its fullest. Summer just before the turning into fall. 

For many this summer has been the most unusual of our lives; a summer when doing what has always been normal or expected or routine has been upended. All indications are that fall will continue that trend, so perhaps it is time to sit in the summer sunshine and reflect on these past days.

Take your journal or notebook and sit in an outdoor space. Perhaps where you have spent time this summer. 

Close your eyes lightly, not tightly, and take a deep cleansing breath. And another and yet another, until you feel your body relaxing and finding an easy rhythm.

 Open your eyes and breathe in your surroundings. Look all around you, especially behind you. Take your time. Note the colors, the smells and sounds, the patterns. Note what interests you, grabs your attention. Perhaps you are aware of something that feels new or different. Allow yourself to gaze, to graze in this summer space.

Close your eyes once again. Lightly, not tightly, and take a trip through your summer days. Walk the paths of June, July, and August, just at an end. What images come to mind? Do you recall any significant conversations or events? Remember an ordinary day, and relive the hours. Spend time in those summer days.

When you are ready, open your eyes and read through the following questions. Choose one or two to reflect on in your journal--perhaps one question that feels easy and comfortable and another that makes you edgy, itchy. 

1.    How was this summer similar to past summers? What did you do that you always do, that symbolizes summer for you?

2.    How was this summer different, unusual? How was this summer different from the way you hoped summer would be?

3.    What were your challenges this summer? How did you cope with the challenges or was your response more resistance than adaptability?

4.    What did you learn about yourself this summer? How did you stretch this summer? When were you the teacher and when were you the student?

5.    What regrets do you have about this summer? How will that guide you into the next season?  What are your hopes for the fall of 2020? How will you live into those hopes?

6.    What was unexpected about the summer? Were there any pleasant surprises? Any moments of beauty and calm?

7.    Does anything need to be healed from these months?

8.    Did you notice the movement of God in your life? If so, when, where, how? Were there any times you felt fully present?

9.    Were there events this summer that were upsetting to you? Did those events change your thinking or awareness? What does this mean going forward?

10.   Complete the statement "The summer of 2020 was..." Why did you choose those words or phrases? 

11.   What question haven't I asked? 

Well, this should keep you writing for some time. Consider discussing these questions with a friend or small group, remembering to listen as you share reflections. 

These reflections can be a steppingstone to the next months in your life. I send you blessings as you look back and move forward.

An Invitation: I would love to hear from you about your summer.

August Promises: Tuesday Reflection

Can you believe it? It's August already. 



How many times have you heard someone say that the last few days or how many times have you said this yourself? Even though the fall and winter seasons are much more to my liking (Sweaters! Pumpkins! Soup!) I feel some regret about how quickly summer days have floated away.  

I look at my "summer list" and am pleased to see some check marks next to places to visit, like the Jeffers Petroglyphs, and tours to take like Minneapolis's  Lakewood Cemetery and our newly restored state capitol. We enjoyed a boat trip on the St Croix and a few days on the North Shore. 
We loved the musical Sunday in the Park with George and a walking tour in the former mill district of Minneapolis about women's work in the 1880's. We wandered through several art fairs and enjoyed leisurely dinners with friends. 

But... we have not gone to any outdoor concerts, and we haven't walked through the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Museum. Grandson Peter and I only made it to a couple libraries in spite of our plan to visit several, and granddaughter Maren and I didn't spend a day writing together as we had discussed. In fact, I have not done much writing at all, and I wonder if I am going to be able to find my writing rhythm again. 

I have yet to get out my bike this season, and I have not walked as much as I always think I will when the sidewalks are free of ice. I have not been inspired by all the fresh veggies and fruits to cook interesting meals. Nor have I sipped a gin and tonic frequently. I have not even sat in our private "Paris" garden very often, although each time I do I feel refreshed and restored. 

However, I have read a pile of books on my summer reading list (See summer reading post here)      

I have started most mornings in prayer and meditation and have gone to church most Sundays, even though it has been tempting to stay home with the New York Times. 

I have allowed myself to move quietly through the days, but as a summer nanny for our grands, I have opened, also, to their needs. I have set aside some demands on myself, along with expectations to be productive. While I have not let go of my list-making habit, I have used my lists more as a guide than a dictator. 

What does this mean as I look ahead to these August days? I do want to walk more. I do want to re-open the door to writing time. I do want to enjoy the abundance of produce. Maybe we will check off another item or two on my summer list, but maybe not. 

Maybe not. 

Here's what I think: As I get older, I am able to listen to my heart more. 
         What is it I most want to do right now? 
         What will enhance the person I was created to be? 
         What am I called to do right now, especially this August? 
         How is God moving in my life?

I think August holds a promise for each of us, much as the Third Chapter of life does. There is still time to do what we most want to do and become who we were created to be, BUT don't wait, for the next season is coming.

An Invitation
How will you live in these August days? I would love to know. 

Here's another post about approaching the end of summer: Change in direction