The Sights and Sounds of Summer
“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.”
Psalm 74:17 (NIV)
Summer has always been one of my favorite seasons of the year. Maybe it was being out of school. Perhaps it was having more time for reading, playing with friends, swimming, or riding my bike. It might even have been the opportunity to eat fresh vegetables just picked from my Granny’s garden. Regardless of the reasons, summer continues to be one of my favorite seasons.
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about all of the many ways that this summer is so very different from last summer. The main difference for Bruce and me personally is that James Bruce, our 37-year old son, is now living at Rainbow Omega, a Christian group home for adults with intellectual disabilities.
James Bruce came home last weekend for Memorial Day and a four-day stay. During his time at home, we were able to get some summer shopping done; eat a delicious picnic dinner at his sister’s house; attend his home church (Briarwood); and spend a lovely day at the lake on Memorial Day. Bruce and I returned James Bruce to Rainbow Omega Tuesday morning, checked him into the main office, kissed him goodbye, and told him we would see him in two weeks for his dental appointment in Birmingham. For his part, James Bruce hugged me and told me “Bye!” No angst, no fear, no deer-in-the-headlights, “what is happening?” look. Just a squeezed hug and a calm “Bye!” It was the very first time that our Rainbow Omega drop-off process has felt “normal.” Perhaps after three months we are finally finding a rhythm with this important transition. We are so grateful for all of your prayers on our behalf.
There are, of course, countless other ways that our June 2021 is very different from June 2020:
Our church has resumed gathered worship services, both Sunday morning and evening, at full capacity. Vacation Bible School, small group Bible studies, and youth activities are also meeting in person again.
We no longer have a mandatory statewide mask mandate in Alabama.
Summer camps, a staple for many working parents, are now available for baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, dance, and almost every other skill you can imagine.
Community pools, amusement parks, libraries, movie theaters, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers are back in business. So are weddings, receptions, and recitals.
Neighbors are once again hosting in-person popsicle parties, play dates, and birthday celebrations.
The cool and wet spring has produced one of the most prolific hydrangea seasons in recent memory.
Most kids are not social distancing, wearing masks, or limiting social contacts with other kids. Watching my granddaughters playing in their driveway last week, I cherished their laughter and the sound of kids being kids again. Last summer was eerily quiet and isolating. I don’t think I’m alone in rejoicing that, for the most part, the sights and sounds of summer have returned.
On a national level many things have also changed significantly:
We now have not one, but three, Covid vaccines with at least half of the U.S. population receiving one dose of the vaccine.
We have a new president in the White House.
People are traveling again. Airlines reported that the 2021 Memorial Day weekend saw its two busiest travel days since March 2020. Hotel occupancy is also up and the hospitality industry is rebounding from the disastrous 2020 pandemic.
Toilet paper, Lysol spray and Clorox wipes are readily available, but meat and gasoline are not.
Inflation is on the rise as are ransom ware cyber attacks and the controversy surrounding Critical Race Theory (CRT).
We are not the first folks in history to see such seismic changes in such a short time. Turning the page from Deuteronomy to Joshua in Old Testament history, it’s easy to see five major differences that the Israelites faced after the death of Moses and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness:
Different leader; not Moses, but Joshua (Joshua 1:1-5)
Different symbol – all attention is now on the ark, not the pillar of cloud or fire
Different water- not crossing the Red Sea, but Jordan River (Joshua 1:2)
Different congregation – Only Caleb & Joshua remained from the original congregation
Different theophany – burning bush for Moses, but captain of the host for Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15)
These were five huge differences in Israel’s life and history, but God was still the same. So it is with us. No matter how our life circumstances may change from season to season, God is always the One Constant who remains (Psalm 102:27, Hebrews 13:8) and stays the same forever. Author Paige Brown wisely says, “Only when we understand the sameness of God will we not be the same.”
So what about you? How is your 2021 life different this year from last year? What are some of the changes you have experienced? And how have you experienced the sameness of God over the last 15 months?
No matter our circumstances, may we all know the One who is “the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.” (Isaiah 33:6 NASB).
Great is His faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:23)