Summertime...

...and the living is easy! I love this time of year. Even though I am never short on lesson plans to write, music to arrange, homework to finish and a never ending barrage of kid stuff to play host/chauffeur for, it still feels like the living is easy. Maybe because without the daily school run, all the other stuff seems less jumbled up and squished in. Maybe it's because the warmth gives a special glow to my son's skin and eyes. Or maybe it's because I am finally starting to realize that relationships mean more than a completed to-do list. A day of studying will have to be recouped no doubt. But spending a day with my multi-generational sister-friends nourishes the soul. And taking time to ooh and ahh over the summer camp war wounds proudly earned in a game of Capture the Flag cements mother-son camaraderie for the years to come.  The living is easy when we allow it to be. Even the most difficult moments can be simplified with faith, friendship and a healthy dose of fun and shared laughter. July 4th fireworks remind me that the days are already getting shorter whether we've noticed or not. Be sure to relish the sunshine and warmth of summer. It does a body--a soul-- good.