Rhythms
Summer vacation: excitement or dread?
Water Gun Fun. Copyright Holmberg 2009. All Rights Reserved.
School’s out in our neck o’ the woods. That means my carefully crafted schedule has been turned on its ear. No more neatly slated, color-coded Outlook appointments. Gone are the large chunks of time allotted for writing… something I apparently can only accomplish in blocks that exceed 120 minutes.
For many parents, the summer is a mixed bag, a combination of relief from monitoring homework coupled with a disdain for the unstructured time that seems to drive our kids to a screen or the pantry.
The writer of Ecclesiastes takes note of life’s rhythmic tempo, beating over the course of time:
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT
We might add another line: A time to study and a time to play.
The single Hebrew word zĕman is translated in 3:1 as ‘for everything there is a season.’ The same word is used in Nehemiah 2:6 and Esther 9:27 and 31. The Biblical usage has connotations of opportunity and fleeting chances… recognizing that time passes quickly so life’s events should be both commemorated and savored, experienced fully by being truly present in the moment.
While I am primarily a stay at home mom, I do have a part-time gig as a ghost writer. Serving my clients during the summer months proves more challenging than during the school year, as does preparing for my speaking engagements. I rise early, before my children, to capture quiet, uninterrupted hours of writing. I admit that I’m easily exasperated when they wake before I’ve logged my word-count for the day.
But there’s something magical about a sleepy kid — of any age — who wants nothing more than to sit in my lap, or linger in a hug, for a few tender moments before venturing kitchen-ward to scavenge for breakfast. I might not experience those moments if my eyes are rolled back in my head with irritation.
We’re all adjusting to the unfamiliar rhythms of summer, but we’ll find our beat soon, I’m sure. In the midst of it all, I want to savor the moments — the fleeting opportunities — of time spent with my kids. For this season will undoubtedly pass too quickly.
And it is worth commemorating.
How do you handle the shift to having kids home full-time in the summer?
Share your tips in the comments or on Facebook.
Good word Kirsten and a great reminder to mother’s with children. It does goes fast and enjoying time with them should be a blessing not a burden to ‘our schedule.’ ; ) Thanks for sharing this today and have a wonderful summer.
Love, Hester 😉
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
Good word Kirsten and a great reminder to mother’s with children. It does goes fast and enjoying time with them should be a blessing not a burden to ‘our schedule.’ ; ) Thanks for sharing this today and have a wonderful summer.
Love, Hester 😉
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
A blessing, not a burden, indeed. Gotta keep our eyes on the prize, eh?
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!
I miss those lazy summer mornings, although many of ours were spent poolside at swim team practice. And we spent many hours on bleachers watching baseball games. Savor every single minute, mamas. Those days are gone in a flash!