One of the things that has surprised me about adulthood is how certain familiar details are comforting. Who knew all those adult freedoms we envy as kids come with this desire to be reunited with some of the truths of life that were so prevalent in childhood? As summer started this year I found such comfort that life is full of all sorts of seasons, but summertime will always come with time in the sun, family moments, hot days, (hopefully) cooler nights, and that feeling of adventure.
Of course we all can relate to that sense of adventure that begins with the end of school. These feelings are personalized by our own experiences, but I love that as a kid even the little aspects of “out of the norm” can be considered an adventure. So this summer I had two goals: to savor the familiar details of summer that happen like clockwork and to make adventures a regular occurrence.
And you know what? It did not disappoint. Feeling the sun hit on your skin and the powerful contrast of the cool pool, brought both fond memories and a reminder that future ones were being created. Taking off a random day in the week for an adventure day of seeing my Chicago brother Grant and my Ganmommy, returned feelings of the freedoms these summer days can hold. These early moments of summer marked the start of a season that it really felt like life in this moment is home, and not just a plan B.
Shannon now has certain criteria being formed in her little mind that signals summer and it’s possibility. And for me, it has also proven the beauty that new holds, and the power that memories can have to connect you to the present.
This particular day that my brother was in town for business fell in June. The start of the summer season and the month Ganmommy would welcome 100, so there was just an extra sweetness calling to soak it up. Not only would Shannon and I join in for the day trip to DC area, but we would turn as many little details into a chance for fun!
There was lots of time in the sun (Ganmommy’s favorite).
Family to visit with.
Special drinks to be had.
And the courage to also go home. We stopped into the area I grew up in and where Shannon had been born. The town I had worked so hard so Danny and I could afford to call it home and we choose to make a family there. It took a number of years, while also creating the opportunity for a lot of memories: both the ones that happened and the ones we were sure would. Returning here is always such a mix of happy and hard, but this particular day I was surrounded by two things: the possibility of summer and some of my family. It made going back really special.
Yes, we are not living here, but on this day Shannon got to play on a playground that was in a place so prominently in my childhood and at the same time I also got to go back into the past. I got to “remember when ..” with my parents and brother, instead of just walking memory lane and wondering if I had taken a wrong turn to not be where I had imagined being at this stage. In the oddest way this day proved that going back can be about being present, looking back, but not dwelling in the pain. I welcomed the large amount of nostalgia and also invitation to be present, while choosing not to pick up the pictures held by broken frames.
And somehow it felt related to the power of summer. When actually it is more likely the power of life that is built on a foundation that is filled with changes: seasons in nature and seasons of life. Being able to keep walking amount both was a reminder that God has gifted me more blessings in the form of another summer.
Summer’s very specific set of characteristics launched loud and proud this year and you know what, it has not disappointed!
Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!
Jackie
Have A Little Faith in We 