Summertime is for Friends
“Summertime and the living is easy…” First thing that popped in my head when Kate called for a post on Summer.
Oh, what a joy summer was when our oldest was a toddler. We spent summers with other Moms and their babes at an inlet from the ocean called “Mother’s Beach.” Kids playing among the gentle movement of the water with lots of eyes watching and hands ready to grab any slips under the water.
Then when he grew up into elementary school, we’d play in the sand by the surf with our friends, search the tide pools for sea anemones, and the boys would grab their boogie boards to ride the waves to shore. Then do it all again.
By the time we had two boys, we had just moved to Arizona–all beach, no water–in the middle of summer. Suddenly, summer wasn’t so fun anymore. We landed in 106-degree heat. And no pool in the backyard yet. But friends again came to our rescue from our home state and brought summer fun with them again. No, they didn’t import the beach. But us two crazy Moms took our boys to Golf and Stuff where our four boys had fun zooming around the water on bumper boats in 116-degree heat. Each time they passed us by, we squirted them with spray bottles of water to cool them AND us down.
Those days are long gone but the memories linger as hubby and I now set our fun for summer away from the desert heat as often as we can. We are blessed to find a place along the California coast to camp with friends for a couple of weeks each summer. And we enjoy our crazy friends who still visit us in the summer. Thankfully, we now have a pool.
From My Heart to Yours (in the hot Arizona sun),
Janis
Linking with Five-Minute Friday
What a great reminder that it isn’t necessarily the place but the people that provide us with the memories, and the present, of God’s love and presence for us.
Hi Marie,
What a blessing to see you here. I hope your summer is providing refreshing moments and God’s peace. It’s true that friends make all the difference. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like as long as we are sharing time with friends. Remember when you came out here and we had a monsoon? We had to rush teens inside before the storm hit. Then we both could enjoy God’s creative display!
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis
Those kinds of happy memories are such a gift!
One day I came across a cassette tape (remember those?). It was of us and another couple practicing the song, “Daddy Sang Bass, Mama Sang Tenor”. They were our neighbors and friends when we were all young military families in California, and our kids were toddlers or preschoolers. Listening to the tape, the ladies were more of the instigators for the song session, and the guys were more or less talked into it without as much enthusiasm as the wives would have liked. It made for a lot of laughter and fun. Our kids are all grown now, and there are grandkids. It is such a gift of the Lord to have given us brains capable of storing so many years of memories, and the good feelings that tag along with them.
Wow, Carol,
I do remember cassette tapes. I think we have a couple of tapes with “Little Tim” speaking on them. Now, I’ll have to go on a hunt!
God has truly blessed us with minds that store such blessed memories. I pray that more people will find treasured memories and relief for the painful ones.
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis
Delightful post.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sandra,
Thank you for dropping by today! I’m happy you were blessed by the post! I enjoyed yours as well.
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis
Praise God for friends who we can spend time with and remember all the fun we have had together!! Although summer is not my favorite time of the year, it’s nice to have friends to experience it with their presence and make memories!!
Hi Cecelia, summer can be brutal, especially in Arizona with the intense heat. But with the heat come heavenly monsoons and gorgeous sunsets. Having friends to spend time with in the summer give us a change of pace to look forward to and memories to build. And, fortunately, we can find some cooler spots in this state.
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis