Summertime

Summertime has arrived and I look forward to warmer days and long evening walks with a cooling summer breeze filled with the scent of wildflowers and pine. As I sit down to write this blog, I am drawn to the summer thoughts of William Shakespeare. It always amazes me how a few words can fill your heart. 

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day? 

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

With the first signs of summer, I become nostalgic for the days of my childhood, when my sisters and I explored the entire United States by visiting every National Park with our parents. I can still feel the comfort of a warm meal over an open fire, staring at the stars with dreams of my future, and the exhaustion at night after an adventurous day hiking, fishing, or watching with laughter the performances by college students working at the parks. The memories are endless and I am grateful to my parents for the life lessons I learned from their stories shared around a campfire, and for my father’s humor that never escaped an opportunity for laughter. 

I wish you all a memorable summer with whatever restores your spirit with the many offerings that this season so generously gives.