On Gratitude and Wonder
It’s the second official day of summer for me. The school year wrapped up last Friday, with a few more days on campus to tidy up loose ends. I am grateful for the year behind, and grateful for the summer ahead!
I am already all too aware that the summer can fly by in a flash, leaving me wondering if it even happened. In fact, in the past two days, I have set out to conquer a list including but certainly not limited to:
Tidying up our landscaping (kids will help! Right? Oh, only for a little bit)
Ruthlessly purging unnecessary belongs (with joy and gratitude, of course!)
Cooking and baking, at least once each, per day
Playing with my kids
Reading for fun!
Reading to learn
Peacefully creating art in the morning before my kids wake up, cup of hot coffee close at hand…
Well, it turns out, I need a lot of time for these things, and rushing like a mad woman to squeeze them all in doesn’t leave me (or anyone) feeling particularly grateful or full of wonder for the season in which we find ourselves.
In 2022, I painted a mural as part of the Esco Alley Art project. “What the Trees Know” is a meditation on the passing of seasons - all life flows in a cycle of tender growth into abundance before falling away into the winter of ending. This thought has returned to me frequently in this season. While the passing of seasons is unavoidable, our response to it is ours to choose. We can embrace the changes, growing and bring others up with us.
Or, we can do the opposite.
I find I am somewhere in between - how about you?
In this summer season, I am embracing a more mindful approach than in the past. For me, that means more frequent, shorter journaling moments. It means more time getting to know God. It means more planning ahead - what do I want to build with my family, and at what pace? (And don’t forget to include them in that conversation!)
I hope to see an increase in gratitude and wonder; a decrease in hurriedness and that feeling of “if only…”
After all, though it’s cliche, each moment is a gift. And if you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in a moment full of abundance, it’s not to be wasted. Fill up, and give back to those around you.
And now, time to see what my kids are up to - and what kind of wonder we will find!