SUMMER!

Summer days are here again! Our hearts ring out those words as the days brighten and lengthen.
Perhaps at times we find ourselves recalling childhood memories of summers past- helping to save the hay and the turf, the excitement of the long, summer holidays from school, the many opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, dressing in our summer gear and enjoying a real sense of freedom.
The trees that were bare and naked some months ago are now beautifully clothed in a magnificent variety of colour. There is a real sense of the lavishness of God’s gifts to us in creation all around us. The earth is blooming with freshness, newness and creativity. We can surely cry out in praise of our Creator God, “All creation rightly gives you praise”.
During this summer season then we are invited to stop and stare, to listen and to see what surprises our Creator God places on our path every day if we but take the time to notice and to be aware; “Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush is on fire with God”.
So in the words of the Summer Solstice Blessing written by Joyce Rupp:
“May our eyes open amazingly to the mystery of summer;
May our ears open to the sounds of summer;
May the colours of the countryside blossom in our hearts;
May the music of summer be on our lips;
May the fragrance of primrose, buttercup and daisy encircle us;
May the whole community of life be truly alive with the energy of summer.