Summertime.....and the Living Is Easy

Summer Is Here. Ahhhhh.......we hang around in our PJs, we accomplish the little things, the gas tank is still full, we swim, we lie in the sun drying off and warming up like lizards. The early days of summer are proof that dreams come true.

It has to be said on this blog, that God is good. I rarely pray for specifics. I try to be mature (sigh) in my prayers. Thankful. Trusting. I pray for wisdom and strength. I pray for protection for my family. I pray for peace in their hearts. But I prayed so hard and so true to God for our sweet baby when she was enduring the rash of unknown cause. I specifically asked God, word by word, for her not to have a dreaded infection, for it not to be MRSA, which every symptom was pointing toward. I prayed the way Father Hesburgh at Notre Dame taught us: "Come, Holy Spirit", because that prayer is an invitation for miracles. It truly is. And, out of absolutely nowhere, her rash disappeared. I randomly threw away our Aveda clove conditioner, which we never buy and just decided to try, which was still 1/3 full. I don't know if that was the cause, but it was inspired. And I am so deeply grateful. We are blessed. And if I don't tell that story, it's like hiding the light under the bushel.

Now, back to my regular ol' life. We have spent this summer swimming, walking the trails in the foothills around our house, at the library. I don't mind having the children around. Ha, ask me again in August. Yes, they talk non-stop, and patience wears thin throughout the day. One of my favorite things about summer is swimming, wearing ourselves out in the water and the sun, snacking on grapes or the short sweet season of cherries so ripe they pop. When my mom was little, she says she used to hang the 'double-cherry' from her ear, pretending to be Carmen Miranda.

The children and I will be spending two weeks in central Wisconsin, berry picking, playing in the rivers, fishing, walking to the covered bridge, and sleeping late(r). We're visiting Notre Dame for a long weekend. Midwest in the summer is sweet, so charming, and smells like grass and blowsy, bloomy summer flower gardens. We'll spend two more weeks in Atlanta with my family, and we'll cap off our travels in Santa Monica on the beach.

Baby Girl is still sleeping, stretching out, enjoying no one coming to grab her for the morning carpool, letting her legs and body grow. I am so thankful for the three of them, and to their guardian angels, and to all the goodness in life that keeps us whole and hopeful.