The Little Joys of Summer

^{Psalm 24:1-6
1} The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.

³ Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.

⁵ They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.

I've been wondering what to do in a personal post for some time now. The summer has kept us so busy and in the last two weeks our family has been hit by a nasty cold. J even had his first-ever ear infection. As we recover, we have been spending time relaxing. This morning I was watching Barney with my son and they were "listening to the night time". While watching it I got my idea, to write a post on the little things I love about summer. It reminds me to slow down and thank the Lord for these little blessings he sends my way. The verse above goes well with this post.

*Lightning bugs flickering around the yard

Seeing the lightning bugs takes me back to being a kid and all the playing we did outside around dusk and after dark. I loved watching the fire flies flickering everywhere you looked. I still do. It is just amazing to me to see their little bodies light up as they fly around. It helps me to slow down and just enjoy these creatures of the summer. It is fun watching my son enjoy them too.















*The hooting of a Great Horned Owl outside our home
Earlier this summer while working on the computer late at night, I became aware of a sound in the night. As I stopped to listen more closely, I realized it was an owl! I just love owls. I think they are incredibly fascinating animals. I used to hear them outside my bedroom in the house I grew up in but I never heard any here where I live. I looked online and found out what I was hearing was a Great Horned Owl. See this link: Owl Sound.













*The feeling of a warm, evening breeze while outside watering the garden at night.
I love going out in the evening right at dusk to do my watering. The sky is lit up in different colors and the air still holds the humidity of the day. Often there is a warm, refreshing breeze blowing through. I love just feeling the soft wind on my face and thinking about the Lord's goodness.












*The wonderment of seeing little animal babies
We had a baby raccoon visit our yard the other day. He waddled around and then climbed up a tree and sat there a good part of the day. I couldn't get any decent pictures (this was from Clip Art), but take my word for it that he was cute. Late in the day, he came down off his perch and was heading quickly toward our busy 4-lane road. I ran outside to head him off just in time to see him scoot into the sewer into the safety of the underground pipes. We have also had baby birds and enjoy watching them flitting about and crying out for food as their parents tend to them.












*The sound of the cricket symphony in the evenings of summer
It is a refreshing activity for me to tune into the sounds of the outdoors and nature. I especially love listening to the crickets at night. This is another thing that takes me back to my childhood. It is such a relaxing sound and I love to think about the little creatures that are making it. I always miss it when the crickets disappear when winter comes.


Hope you are enjoying the sights and sounds of summer too!
Thanks for visiting :o)


Photos: Courtesy of Microsoft Clip Art