Summer days

This past week I've been thinking, what do I want my summer to look like? What do I want to have accomplished at the end of summer? And while I have many things on my "to do" list, I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. At the end of the summer I want to feel relaxed, replenished, energized. So how to I get to that? I'm not sure, but I'm certain it includes several days filled with "nothing". Those days when nothing is planned, I just go as the wind blows or wherever my kids take me with their imagination. Perhaps I read a book or take a nap or sip lemonade or sit quietly and listen to the sounds around me (like that of of my children laughing their way thru childhood) or watch what birds fly up to my feeder. Perhaps I bake cookies or call a friend or go for a walk or run thru the sprinkler with my girls. And while I looked forward to some very planned days and some wonderful vacations (to Wisconsin; to Boston area; to Lake Michigan) -- I'm also really looking forward to these "nothing" days too! The other great things about "nothing" days is that my kids have the opportunity to use their imaginations... their days aren't planned for them... they get make their own fun! Sadly, I feel that is a essential piece which is slowing slipping away from many kid's childhoods.

Also upon reflection, there are 2 things I'm planning to make a priority this summer. The first is to get caught up on my scrapbooking... I want to remember these years and it will be easier if my pictures aren't sitting on my hard drive, but rather in an album to flip thru as the years go by. Second, I'm writing a memoir. I received a phone call in 1996 that forever changed the course of my life...it changed my dreams, refocused my priorities and made me reexamine who God really is. It's a phone call I have to tell my kids about one day. And the best way I know to capture the depth of that journey is thru the writing of my own memoir.

So as the summer stretches before me, I find myself thankful for the gift of time and for the hope of fun-filled, sun-filled days ahead of me. Speaking of which, the girls and I are heading for a water-filled day at Silver Dollar City today. I can't wait for them to wake up and surprise them with this news! :)