By Rev. Dr. Diane Weible
When I was a child, the last two weeks of July were spent in Florida. Our family would load up our station wagon and make the two-day drive to Sarasota, Florida. We would relax and spend time together as a family.
This is one of my favorite memories and one that I always think about this time of the year. One could say that times were more simple “back then.” While that may or may not be true (summer vacation was timed to fall between the end of softball season and the beginning of school, the two biggest, maybe only, things on our schedule any given summer), I do know that we carved out that time to put everything else aside and be together.
I’ve noticed there is a lot more movement this summer. After two years of restricted travel, it feels like we are making visits and going places, enjoying new adventures. I hope we are all doing that with the people who are most important in our lives.
Spending time with the people we love and nurturing those relationships are the most important things we do in our lives. When things are hectic, it’s easy to forget that. When summer slows down, I hope, it’s easy to remember that.
Times are tough. The reality of our world and all of the issues we face can be painful, exhausting. It is in these times, more than ever, that we need to step away, if only for a short while. Find time to go for a walk, hike a trail, go to the beach, visit a loved one, call a loved one, find those moments of joy. And, most of all, remember that the Holy One will accompany you in these sacred times as well.
Happy Summer!
