I am a firm believer that June is the best time of the year. There are rhododendrons, peonies, berries, and it stays light out past 9pm. We have a baby deer, Sterling, and a baby fox, Todd, hanging around the East House (that’s what the “little white house next to the church” is called). We also had a groundhog until someone (…Rich…) hit him with his car. He’s so sorry.

Every evening I go for a walk in my new sandals with the braided straps that I got on sale (link – they run small, so size up). Not having to wear a coat is a luxury we’re afforded three, maybe four, months out of the year and one I will never take for granted.

At night I sit outside on a bench waiting for the bats to glide across the sky. Mind you I’m afraid of bats (thanks, Scooby) but as long as they stay up there and I stay down here I feel pretty safe and actually more at peace than I do any other part of the day. It’s the quiet. For once there is nothing to distract me from “being still and knowing He is God”, an exhortation I love but have trouble putting into practice in the day-to-day. But we really, really should, on a regular basis. He gives us a front row seat to the wonder of His creation, a seat that’s perfect for resting in His presence if we choose to take it.

It sounds cliché, but summer is the perfect time to get away from the hecticness of life and enjoy the natural world around us. There is so much to see if we’d just put down our to-do lists, look up from our phones, and embrace the stillness for a little while, without worrying we’re going to miss something important. We’ll actually miss a lot more if we never stop and take time alone with God, resting in Him and appreciating His artistry. Every piece is a testament to His creativity and majesty. Even the mosquitos came from Him, and though I make every effort to send them back to Him when they swarm around my head, I’d still rather hear the buzzing of a mosquito than the buzzing of my email. (Except when it was Amazon telling me my sandals were here.)

For most of us, summer vacation stopped being a thing a long time ago. We’re all busy and can’t always get up from our desks no matter how the “hills are beckoning” (Maria VonTrapp… who had the right idea). But if you can spare a few minutes, maybe once a day, I can’t recommend enough going out into His creation and letting it reenergize and refocus you, reminding you that He is in control, no matter how overwhelming our momentary troubles may feel. Leave your phone, stand outside, and just listen. You may end up hearing more than just mosquitos.

“For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” Colossians 1:16