Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Summer Success

All four kids are off together on an adventure. Biking through the neighborhood, stomping through the woods, and stopping at a nearby park. All endeavors are nearby so that Grace doesn't have to bike too far. Every few minutes I hear the door slam signaling their return home for another bathroom break, glass of water, or just a few minutes out of the heat.

I take my book and my music out on the back patio to try and soak up a little sun and solace. I am having a hard time concentrating on my book with the constant activity flitting around me. Birds zip in and out at the feeders and bird bath. Airplanes fly overhead taking in the lake's coastline on their way to the major golf event in our area. A plethora of dragonflies and butterflies dip and zip and flutter over the flowers next to me.

Soaking in all this beauty a feeling of melancholy splashed over me in a big wave. I'm not sure where this sadness comes from but it leaves me soaked. I find myself missing the present that isn't even the past yet.

I look back on the past few months of summer and wonder where the time went. How is it possible that this golden summer has passed us by so quickly? How many more summers will we have like this one? My kids are not exactly "little" kids anymore. Thinking of how quickly they are growing leaves me aching inside. I want more summers like this one. Many, many more.
There is not much of summer left. The days get cooler and the nights are downright cold. We stock up on wood for the coming fall and winter and even consider a fire at night after a chilly couple of hours at football practice. Soon summer and it's warmth will just be a memory. Soon all of my children will be in school, all day, and our time together will be short and hurried and just not enough.
Not that summer was filled with nonstop laughter and fun and smiles. There were definitely times this summer when I would angrily think to myself, "I can't wait for school to start!" Though most times, even though I was thinking it, I wasn't feeling it. Even though I was at my wit's end, and I had had enough of the fighting and whining, I still wanted our summer to last forever. Deep down I don't ever want school to start.
As quickly as it went I can't be disappointed by this summer. The weather was hot, we had time to relax and unwind, we took a few trips, and we went to all of our favorite places. It was a near perfect summer.

Still, we spent these last weeks trying to eke out as much of what's left of summer as we could.
We do things we've never done before. We go to a balloon festival, the kids and I. We watch as the balloons fill up with warm air, getting big and puffy and straining at the seams. They pull at their ropes that tie them down, aching to make their escape to the sky. Huge blasts of fire light up the balloons and we ooh and ahh. We are disappointed to learn that the balloons will not be taking off into the air. It is more like a lantern show. The balloons lighting up with each countdown. 

We walk right next to the balloons on the way to our car, the massive, colorful creatures looming over the top of us as we leave. More fire is shot into the balloons lighting them up and casting a warm glow. I can't help but think that this send off is far better than watching them take to the air until they shrink out of site. It's best to have big, bright, vivid, warm memories to recall. 
I comfort myself that even though our summer is ending we will have plenty of big, bright, vivid, warm memories to recall.

8 comments:

Mom24 said...

Beautiful Kat. It does go way too quickly, doesn't it? Except, of course, when it doesn't. ;) I love the saying 'the days are long but the years are short'. So true.

Anonymous said...

We had a great summer, too. More getting along than fighting, lots of laid back fun.
Your back patio is such pretty and welcoming space.

Wisconsin Girl said...

Beautiful thoughts...beautiful family...beautiful summer! I've taken a break from blogging and got wrapped up in our fun, busy summer. Summer memories are the best! All the best with getting the kiddos back to school:)

Kat said...

Mom24- That really is the most accurate saying for parenthood isn't it? The days are long but the years are short. SO true. One of my favs.

betty said...

Summer went by fast for me and I don't have young ones out on break; I can imagine having them out and having the fun you guys did, it had to fly! Sounded like it was a very delightful summer; one for the memory books indeed!

betty

Bijoux said...

You will just have different adventures when they get older. But there's nothing like summer vacation!

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

You guys have the best summers! Y'all do so much fun and have great weather to go with it!

Unknown said...

Summer seems to fly by now, totally! I think y'all soaked it up pretty well. I love your back patio, so pretty and relaxing... :)

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson