Yesterday marked the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and ushered in the official start of summer. Here in Ohio, we have been in a summer frame of mind for weeks now. It seems that the hot sun and summer storms were not willing to wait for an arbitrary day on the calendar, and just showed up and made themselves at home.
Residents at Willow Brook Christian Home sported their summer straw hats at the first day of summer party yesterday. Watch out for those water guns!
If warmer weather typically finds you hitting the road or flying the friendly skies, my, have you been in for a rude awakening! With gas prices hovering at five dollars per gallon and skyrocketing (pun intended) airfares, perhaps sticking closer to home has become more appealing. A dip in the pool? A cool glass of sun tea and a good book? A walk in the early morning or as the evening sun recedes?
The roses at Willow Brook Christian Village are blossoming in the summer sun.
Here at the Babbling Brook, we have been working in our respective gardens. Christina has already harvested raspberries and frozen them for pies; and Cathy has harvested a good number of herbs and flowers for use in tea blends and infused honeys and vinegars. Have you spent time in a garden yet this summer? There is something so grounding about it (again with the puns!). If gardening is not in the cards for whatever reason, may we suggest a trip to your local farmers market? You can’t beat a homegrown tomato, cucumber, or pepper. Gazpacho, anyone?
Willow Brook’s campuses are teeming with summer life. Outside, the trees are green, the flowers are blooming, gardens are lush, and wildlife is abundant. Indoors, activities are humming: book discussions, musical performances, trips, exercise classes, summer parties. One of the beautiful things about our Willow Brook communities is that you get to decide how involved (or not) you want to be. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here; the amenities are available if you want them, and if you do not, that is OK, too.
No matter what you do this summer, the Babbling Brook hopes you will find even small ways to honor the season: some sun on your skin, feeling the earth beneath your bare feet, waking with the sunrise, or eating locally-grown, life-giving foods. Let us allow the energy of this season fortify us and renew us for the cooler and darker months ahead.
Here is a poem we are quite fond of that we want to share with you. May it be food for thought in the weeks ahead.
