Days Gone By

Where has the summer gone?  How many times have you heard that remark?  It seems that the older I get, the shorter the summer. 

We started out in a rush, putting off things that we hoped to do later only to find that time had passed us by before they were accomplished.  A blur of VBS, Summer Workshop, Theater, piled on top of work and responsibilities quickly steals precious moments.

It's only one more week until my daughter returns to college for the Fall.  As I look back over the past year, I see so much to be thankful for in her life.  Opportunities, Knowledge, Friendships, Decisions, Adventure...I'm so grateful for the blessings she's received.  I'm praying for another good year with good friends.  She's meeting folks from all over the world and experiencing other cultures in worship and play.  To find a bosom friend is certainly a gift I am especially glad to see.  I pray that relationship will only grow stronger as the years pass.

Seems the herald of this final week comes as a sign from the heavens.  Mid-August brings the Perseid Meteor Showers and their fantastic displays of burning dust streaking across the night sky.  Be sure to take the time to watch for a shooting star this weekend.
 
This, was an incredibly emotional time for me last year as I prepared to send my first born 7 hours away to college for the first time.  As I thought about those meteors, and all the times we'd spent lying on blankets, in the grass, on the hill, sometimes just us, sometimes with neighbor kids, waiting in anticipation for the bright flashes that always drew, "Ooooo's" and "Awwww's!", no matter how many we'd already seen, I was a little weepy that cloud cover kept us from watching them together.  Seemed cruel, somehow. 

That night, I wrote a little poem, Softly, Softly about those special times...times we'll remember.  Don't worry.  It's not all sappy and melancholy...it's about the meteor showers...no, really it is!  Makes me feel like listening quietly and watching with the innocence and openness of a child in hopes of making a memory for later. 

If only I could capture one of those tiny  flashes of light to keep in my pocket, I know I could be more brave!  Don't you think so, too?


Pondering My Meanderings,
Wanderer