Anticipating Summer Blessings

Reading through my journal today I came upon an entry from last year.   As I read, it caused a deep yearning in my heart for warm summer evenings…and the unexpected blessings that come with them. I wonder if you will have the same reaction…

Thursday night was so lovely…the perfect time to water my potted plants and linger over each of them, smelling the refreshing fragrances unique to each one. When I finished my watering, I sat down to bask in the balmy summer breeze. But as I sat there alone, I felt this very special time HAD to be shared. So, I ran into the house and asked Keith to turn off the TV and come out and join me.

And out he came, heading straight for the hammock.

As we lay there, swaying gently in the twilight, music from The Muck (Muckenthaler Cultural Center) wafted over the arroyo, embellished by the occasional song of a bird that hadn’t yet nestled in for the night. The stillness, the breezes and the sweet music lulled us away from the busyness of the day, causing us to relax in both body and mind. Our ears and eyes slowly tuned in to the surrounding trees and flowers; hummingbird wings whirred; leaves and boughs danced in the breeze.

That’s when I noticed a monarch butterfly clinging to a low limb of the podocarpus tree directly above us! In all these years I had never seen a monarch in his place of nightly rest! And had we not taken this time of stillness in the garden, I might have missed it entirely! What a sweet gift!

It’s amazing what we can see, when we slow ourselves down and look for our Lord’s blessings! Our anxious thoughts of what we “need”, of disappointment, of concern for our families or finances or futures slowly disappear…and are replaced with peace…with gratitude.

I’m looking forward to a summer filled with special times with the Lord. He has placed His sweet treasures for us in the midst of those moments…and I can hardly wait.

What blessings do you think He has for you this summer?

Oh Lord, how grateful I am for the gift of your presence, which is the ultimate blessing. I’m ready to step out into these warm summer evenings to spend precious moments with you.