Summer.
I think it’s my favorite season.
Yes, the days are longer. But it’s not just that. It seems like there is more time, more space.
Today, my children and I went with friends to the lake. There was water, sand, sun and sky. We drank iced tea and root beer, ate peanut butter and jelly, had chicken salad. My son used his snorkel and saw a fish skeleton. The girls swam, played tennis, and shot a few baskets. They bought ice cream bars from the snack shack. All three of them, even the teenagers, played on the playground and marveled at how much my 12-year-old son had grown, that this year he equals his sister’s weight and they can seesaw together for the first time.
My friend is someone I have known casually for years, one of the best kind of people, someone that I have always loved talking to. There hasn’t always been much time for that, though, in our ordinary days. Today was different; today was summer. While the kids frolicked, we sat on the beach in our chairs, watched the water move, and talked. Our conversation was a gift, wandering into areas that can be sensitive and scary. I have long known that the best friendships grow through vulnerability and that these relationships are rare. The older I get, the more I cherish them. Today, as we sat by the water and moved toward the sun when the breeze got chilly, our friendship deepened.
The day wore on, as all days do, and soon it was time to pack up the coolers, fold up the chairs and head home. Just a regular Wednesday at the end of June. But there was water, sun, sand, sky. There was time for talking and just being- all sweet gifts of summer, my favorite time of the year.
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