Bring on Summer~

Yay, summer!  Bring it on!

I have always loved summer.  I think it started when I went to school.  That last day of school was so amazing!  Imagine, two months to do anything I wanted or nothing at all!  No getting up at the crack of dawn or homework.  Just a lot of empty hours waiting to be filled with whatever I wanted!  Heaven!

I spent many of those hours reading, crafting, playing outside and reading. We played marathon games of Monopoly, played house outside, rode bikes in the yard and dug lots of holes.  And we could even go outside after dinner.  Wow!  My Mom didn't even drive then so we just stayed at home and amused ourselves, me and my four sisters.  It was such a relaxed, laid back time.

Today, I still love summer because I still yearn to throw all schedules to the wind, to go where the day leads me and do nothing if I want to without feeling guilty. 

I don't set my alarm since the sun wakes me early anyway.  I just take my time.  I brew a cup of coffee and sit out on the deck and enjoy the peace and quiet of hearing no school buses.  I watch my birds at the feeders and bird bath and just start my day in an unhurried way.  It seems to make the rest of the day feel less crazy, no matter what it brings.

I try to share this philosophy with my own children, even though they are homeschooled.  We think of fun things to do.  For instance, the girls are going to read all the Trixie Belden books in order.  Last year it was the Hardy Boys. 

The girls want to try and learn to sew.  They are all learning to swim in our above ground pool we bought two years ago with change we had saved in gallon jugs.  We eat outside at every opportunity.  We would like to go to a new spot for a big family picnic.  We are just going to savor this summer! 

Don't let this summer fly by!  Slow down!  Take a deep breath.  Look around at the beauty of summer and the relaxed smiles on your children's faces and your own.  Treat each summer day as a gift to be opened and try to think like a child again.  I promise you, you won't regret it!

Tribute to Dad

Dad, I love you.

I don't say it very often, but I do love you dearly.  You mean the world to me and have been a very important part of my life.

I remember when we were little and you worked nights.  Some mornings we would wake up to find a little pile of pink Canadian mints piled on the kitchen table for us. 

Mom didn't have her license then, so Saturdays, Dad, you would take us grocery shopping.  We thought it was great; especially when we would stop at Kelly's Hamburger Stand for a hamburger, fry and milk.  What a treat!

And how about when Mom was in the hospital after having my sisters, we would wake up and you would be making scrambled eggs.  I loved your scrambled eggs!  We thought it was fun--kind of like roughing it without Mom!

You never complained when you had to bring me back and forth from my part-time job when I was a teen, and would wait patiently no matter how long you had to wait.

You took me out to find my first car--a big, huge bomber of a car.  It was like driving a bus, but it was safe!

You walked me down the aisle when I got married 31 years ago and danced with me at the reception.  It was a bittersweet moment and probably the only time I have ever danced with you!

Remember all the houses you looked at with us when we bought our first home?  I don't think you knew what you were getting into when you suggested we buy a fixer-upper, especially when Jerry (my husband) wasn't very handy.  He sure had a lot to learn, didn't he? 

But you were there for that first renovation, and the second and the third...up until what was hopefully the last one just 5 years ago. 

You have bailed us out financially so many times that I have lost count.  And you never asked for repayment.

You have been a wonderful father, husband and grandfather, and such a wonderful role model as a gentleman. 

Dad, I love you very much and am so grateful for what you have done for me and my family, and for what you continue to do. 

Thank you, Dad!