Gathering the Moments of Summer

To me, Labor Day marks a change in the seasons, and although the autumnal equinox is still few days away, my heart and my home have begun to shift. No pumpkins, no mums, no Indian corn at my house yet. In fact, there are still some summer-weary geraniums at my front and back doors. But  I have packed up the beach bag, put away the sun screen, and sent the few seashells and starfish back to the summer decor storage box. The changes are coming, ready or not, and I plan to relish the days of autumn, my favorite season.  But before I bring on the pumpkins . . . 

I am going to pause and gather the moments, not of a month this time, but of a season. 

It was a summer like no other, this summer of 2020! 

It was the summer of the pandemic. 

It was the summer that our newborn grandson Caleb suffered a medical crisis and, thankfully, fully recovered. 

It was the summer that I lost a beloved aunt. 

It was the summer that our neighbor lost her mother and her longtime boyfriend to covid, both within three weeks' time. 

It was a summer of limiting time on the internet, because social media was filled with angst and anger and complaining and rants.

It was a summer in which I had to lean hard on the Lord, learning to keep a quiet heart in the middle of the angst. It was a summer in which I began a new Bible reading program and read through the New Testament. (That will quiet your heart!)

In spite of everything, we found joy. Joy in time with family and with friends. Joy in gathering with God's people. Joy in meeting our new grandson. Joy in God's creation. Joy in the slower pace. Joy in the Lord and His faithfulness to us. 

Let me share some glimpses of our summer . . . 

June found the three of us traveling to meet our precious grandson (and nephew) Caleb! 

Prior to our trip, we had stayed very close to home, determined not to take any unnecessary risks that would prevent us from meeting our new grandson. But after we got home, we began to gather with our church family in person (rather than online) as well as with family and a few friends.

Ladies' Bible study via Zoom

Manzy was curious about these visitors in our backyard . . . but there's a screen separating them.

From the sun porch, you can see the fence that Ron worked on this summer.

July began with Caleb's illness, but by month's end, he was in full recovery mode and I had been blessed to spend some precious time with them. Lots of other life happened too! 

Oops! Where's Paul?

Everyone loves Ryan and Sarah's little foster baby!

Down south to spend a week with Kati, Andrew, and Baby Caleb!

Happy mama, healthy baby!

Ryan carrying on the homemade ice cream tradition.

We hosted three of our grands for a few days while their older siblings went on a "big kid" trip with their mom and dad. 

August is our month full of anniversaries and birthdays, and much of our activity revolved around those events.

When lunch at a friend's house ends with three desserts . . . 

Got to see these sweet girls (my great-nieces) when we visited my sister.

Look at those chunky legs! He doesn't look like he was so sick only a month before this.
Thank you, Lord!

Grand Game Night!
(This photo was taken before the games and the cRaZy fun began!)

At the beach, there was a hole with some very strange, smooth, muddy sand. The kids started calling it ooblek and it became one of the highlights of the day! 

Barbara and I celebrated our birthdays (only five days apart) with our first PSLs of the season!

September begins with another birthday, but then we get a five-week birthday break. 

The annual Grand Summer Sleepover had to be rescheduled when I went to visit Kati and family, but we were able to fit it in before summer's end. It was worth the wait! 

And on Labor Day weekend, we said good-bye to Gavin, our oldest grandchild, as he headed off to begin his first year of college. (What?! How can this be?)

And so, this crazy summer of 2020 has passed. How have we (how have I) spent this time? 

When Caleb was in the hospital, a very dear friend wrote these encouraging words to me as I struggled . . . 

"It's so hard to watch our children (and grandchildren) go through challenges! Yet, we know from our own life experiences, that walking with our Father through the hard places develops and strengthens our faith! They (kids) are building their own 'monuments' to God's goodness and faithfulness!!" 

Oh, how that helped me! Her words put that truth in back in focus for me.

I pray that these hard days that all of us are living will find us walking with our Father, showing love and grace to those around us, and building "monuments" to God's goodness and faithfulness!