Summer Evenings

Olivia's eyes reflect so much emotion these days. They give a glimpse into what she is thinking and feeling. Her little personality reveals itself more and more every single day.

I am on vacation this week and find myself enjoying a slower, more laid back pace than usual. Richard is working, so Olivia, Dodger, and I took a walk tonight. It was perfect, the kind of night you wish could go on forever. Since I couldn't find a way to stop time, we had to settle for a second loop around our neighboring subdivision, and then the dark forced us back home. I absolutely love this time of year. The evening cooled off to 80+ degrees, and the smells, sounds, and sights of summer were everywhere. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and clean sprinkler water. I love the smell of lilacs; we actually found a tree still in bloom. I love to the hear birds singing their happy songs of summer. I appreciate the vibrant colors of the flowers that decorate many yards, as I can't seem to grow the hardiest of plants. I love to watch the sun as it passes over the horizon, a fireball in the evening sky. Most of all, I love to listen to Olivia in the stroller I push ahead of me. She carries on a complete conversation with herself, stopping every once in awhile to holler at Dodger or point something out to me. She notices the cows in the field next door, the ducks and geese in the sky, beginning their journey north as the season turns, the birds chirping. . . she picks up on everything it seems.

I thank God for nights like tonight, the ones I wish would go on forever. It's hard to believe there's pain and suffering in much of the world when God wraps us up in such a beautiful place. I have so much to thank Him for; there's so much I take for granted. Of all the places in the world I could have been born, how lucky am I to be born here, in the United States. I can own as many Bibles as I want and read them whenever I want. Yet do I read His Word often enough and for the pure joy of knowing Him better? I can worship wherever and whenever I choose, but do assemble with fellow Christians more than the standard once a week? I can share my love for Christ and His story with anyone I choose, yet how often am I silenced by fear of rejection? Despite all these shortcomings and failures, rather for these shortcomings and constant failures, my Savior died and rose again. And he still chooses to share beautiful summer evenings with me.