Do you know what I like most about summer? All of it!
Every. Single. Moment.
But what I like most is that summer is the season to soak up time with family and friends.
Summer, Sand, and Slivers
As an adolescent my very best summers were spent in Holland, Michigan in an adorable brown cottage nestled along the beach of Lake Michigan. Flanked above and below this summer chalet were boardwalks made of weathered timber where chattering girls, running barefoot, could snag a nasty sliver the size of a toothpick, if not careful.
In the 70’s, these boardwalks were lined by a row of splendid cottages, each one unique. Nothing like the cookie-cutter type homes built today. These were shades of blues and greens and browns, trimmed in white and perched in the trees, with large screened porches big enough to hold two families. Each, peeking out just enough to hear the lapping tide washing ashore. Ah, the memories.
“REAL” Family Without a Birth Certificate
The Morleys, they were my family away from family. I grew up an only child of divorced parents, so they were the family I longed for: Mom, Dad, two boys, two girls, and a dog named Alice. Being invited to spend week after week with them in their little piece of heaven left me feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
Mom Morley is a beautiful woman with a great laugh and an attitude as snarky as mine. Her name is Faith, and I think it’s pretty darn great that someone like me was so influenced by a woman with a meaningful name like that. I mean really.
Anyhow, this lovely lady taught me a lot about welcoming outsiders in. Mom Morley taught me that family is more than flesh and blood. Family can be the people you welcome in, even when that person is a nervous, attention-seeking kid with a loud voice and a large attitude.
Y’all May Be Entertaining an Angel
While I was certainly no angel, the Bible tells us, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for some have entertained angels unaware.” Summer is the time for family and friends, but it is also the perfect opportunity for welcoming others in. Who can you extend a token of hospitality to this summer? You just never know who you’ll touch by welcoming them inside your private circle.
Forty years later I’m still reminiscing and learning from Mom Morley.
In the comments below, tell me, who is it that influenced you growing up? Who welcomed you in when you felt alone? Who are YOU welcoming into your family?
They may not be an angel. They may be a lonely kid needing some extra TLC. But then again, they may be an angel with a loud voice and large attitude. You just never know…
Happy summer and Happy Independence Day!
In Christ,
Dawn
