It's September! Where Have You Been?

I'm back! Where did I go? Well, it was summer so the short answer is "Plenty of Places." But it's been an unusual summer too. And as it all unfolded I found I was unable to find the quiet time I needed to sort through my thoughts in order to share them.

The last time I posted anything was about our fantastic trip to Alaska in May. But on that trip, we received news that my mother-in-law had suffered a stroke. Within 24 hours of returning from Alaska we were on the road to Pennsylvania. The following weeks included multiple trips to PA, saying our final goodbyes, packing up an old family homestead and preparing to 'move on' if there is such a thing. Our minds were full. Our hearts were full. Our days were full. It was a time to experience, and savor, but not to share publicly.

In between trips we had a few days here and there to try and catch up with life at home. Perhaps the best analogy of what summer meant around here came from my flowers. I planted them in mid June when I had a few days. We left for a couple of weeks only to come back and find they were gone. The wildlife had moved in and removed all of them. Yep. For awhile, that's what summer meant to me. The Best of Plan(t)s--annihilated.

There were times when I felt summer was getting away from me. I tried to make myself recognize the signs: long days, sunshine, HEAT, Green leaves!  But the constant upheaval of things we had planned made us all feel like we were missing out on something.

We had originally planned one prolonged RV trip in July and August to visit our daughter in Iowa and then do some traveling. Our other daughter was going to be in Iowa too, so we would have a family gathering for a few days. THAT trip came off as planned and it was wonderful! We had actually seen both families a couple of times already as they were able to make pilgrimages to see their grandmother, and again to be at her funeral. But this time in Iowa was just us with no distractions. One of my favorite memories was Jen, Jan and I walking the gravel road at sunset. Just a nice quiet time for the three of us.

After Iowa we went to Wisconsin, Illinois, Indianapolis, and Tennessee. One night we stopped at a campsite that had a pool. I took my towel, sunglasses and magazine and sat by the pool. I swam for a bit and then just sat and soaked in the sun and the quiet by the water. A peace descended over me and I realized, I had finally found Summer. Summer can mean lots of things. It can be symbolized in various ways. But just then, it became real in a quiet moment, sitting by the pool. They say there is an ionization of the molecules above water that soothes our souls and that is why we are drawn to water. (More factually speaking, the amount of negative ions found near moving water and in the mountains have the effect of boosting our serotonin levels making us feel better.)  All I know, is as I sat by the pool, I relaxed and breathed in Summer.

I also began to catalog what summer had been for us.
1) Time with Family--Incredible time. We have spent time with both of my sisters, both of our daughter's and their families, and all of Larry's extended family. It's been wonderful.
2) Time to Travel.
3) Time to reconnect with friends--In Alaska I met a new friend face to face that I've known online, and I ran into an old friend from a church we used to attend in Florida! Since April, I've spent time with friends from my childhood, from our old neighborhood in PA and from our old haunts in Florida as well has spending several days with new friends in an RV club.
4) Time to relax.
5) Time to share memories from the past and time to soak in the present.

It took me awhile to find summer, but when it was all said and done, I realized it's been a pretty good one. Friends, Family, Travel, Long Days, Swimming Pools...
That's what summer is all about.