Reflecting on Summertime with Littles
When my kiddos were little, I longed for summers. We loved the swimsuits instead of uniforms, the car rides to ice cream instead of carpools to school, and the long-awaited summer get-away. Backpacks were emptied, imaginations filled up!
My mornings with coffee and journal in hand were sweetened by the snugly little bodies (and the not-so-sweet morning breath!) and the excitement for what another day at a slower pace might bring.
I remember my littles catching lizards, learning to ride a bike, treading water endlessly while courage was built for the infamous jump. Yes, there were times when the quarreling started too early and complaints of boredom piled up. But the memories that linger are of the exquisite simplicity of folding chairs in the driveway after dinner while talking to friends and neighbors. I know my children relished a mom willing to find time “doing nothing” with them. I could hardly keep my kisses off the little faces that got darker each day as hair turned golden.
Children need unhurried time to dream, imagine, and just be, don’t they? Summer can be the season to set aside the distractions and soak in what is present. We all need face time in which to spend time with one another, finding joy in time together and offering delight in one another. Summer can be that beautiful space, whether we juggle demands of career and daycare and camp dates or we have a more wide-open schedule.
I hope you can carve out some intentional time for just being together. The memories are made in time well spent. The years go so fast! Before you blink, instead of ten more summers, nine, eight, seven . . . the littles are adults living their own lives. These moments fly by and you never get them back.
With it being the middle of the traditional summer, I’ll be honest in admitting that by mid-July I started looking toward autumn, a new season ahead. As much as I had longed for a relaxed summer, a couple months in and I would find myself craving the structure of the fall. Isn’t that crazy? But that’s just human nature.
In the midst of all this, I found a few ways to nourish my own experience of summer, or unstructured time, or life with my littles. Here are some thoughts I hope might enrich your own current situation, whatever it might be.
● Be grateful. A grateful heart with morning coffee is the prescription for mindfulness of the seemingly ordinary. I try to take time nearly everyday to pick up my pen and journal and thank God for His blessings. That simple act helps us see the significance in little things and stirs up joy.
● Remember. Remember that God’s mercies are new every morning (every second!). Don’t dwell on the not-so-good moments. Instead, look at your current moment in eyes of wonder at the opportunity for growth God is giving you.
● Live in the moment. To appreciate any moment you have observe it. To observe requires intention, slowing down, and engaging. Ask God to show you how to find delight in the right-now. Moments are meant for you and your children to experience together.
One last thing, related to that last thought. One of my biggest concerns about today’s culture is that we are more concerned with capturing a moment than experiencing it. That means we are missing it! Will our children remember us turning their faces toward our smartphone camera or toward our face as we take delight in them? Set your devices aside and immerse yourself in what’s happening around you. You’ll be amazed at the gift of your presence.
So today, why don't you make it a goal to pause? Even if it's for five minutes! With summer wrapping up soon and fall on the horizon, relish in the warmth, the slower pace, the morning breath, the face in front of you. Turn your eyes away from your phone and toward that precious face that has been entrusted to you for a season. Remember, ten more summers, nine, eight, seven . . .
