Summer Days

Fireflies at dusk.

Thunderstorms.

Late sunsets.

Insect chorus.

Breezes whispering through the leaves.

Watermelon and strawberries and fresh salads and enough produce at the store to make my California heart happy.

This time of year even has its own smell - sun, plants, grass clippings, the dampness of the earth from recent rains, and the humidity in the air itself.

Summer is in full swing.

...which honestly feels like no swing most days.

After getting back from Senegal, both work and life have seemed almost painfully slow.

I expected summer to be slow and quiet - but not this slow.  Not this quiet.

I've loved the fireflies and summer storms and evenings that stretch on and on, but in the last few months, waiting and disappointment have also shown up uninvited.  Even the word failure might have flitted through my mind a few times.  Changes intimidated or unsettled me.

It turns out I'm not a pro at handling any of that.

I headed to Senegal with a lot on my mind, expecting it all to hit me when I came back.

But there has been grace.

So much grace.

Questions and anxieties - some of which I was only aware of in the background of my mind - have been stilled in a way that I know can only be God.

What is this season if not another way to experience His grace?

- - -
 

Oh, hello there, baby Ava.

...now also known as "Avers" thanks to her brother.

He's such a ham.  I love it.

Look at those little arms and that little face.

Goodness, I miss them.

- - -

Pretty soon I'll be saying adiós to my third-floor apartment and moving to an apartment across the street.

The walls will get a fresh coat of paint first...a prospect which has daunted me more than a little.  (I mean, who knew there were so many dozens of off-white paint shades?!)

But yay for friends who have offered with both the painting and the moving.  I'm slightly less daunted knowing I don't have to do it all by myself.

While there are definitely going to be some things about living on third floor that I'll miss, I can't wait to get settled into the new apartment.  It's the most darling little place.

For one - I'm beyond thrilled that I'll get my own bathroom.  (Seriously, I think that is my single favorite thing about the new place!)

There's a screened porch downstairs, and even a yard.  Oh, the luxury!

I'm looking forward to giving you a tour soon. :)