Summer songs. Silly songs. Songs that make you smile and dance. As you roll down your window, cruisin’ along.
Beach songs. Sand, surf, and tidal waves. Strolls on the boardwalk, searching for seashells, and dipping toes in the water.
Car songs. Songs in rounds with kids in the car. Day trips, road trips, near and far. Laughing and singing til your voice goes hoarse.
Campfire songs. Soft and smoky, the scent of fire. Sparks sizzle and light up the sky. Songs that somehow bond buddies together and, North, South, East, or West, teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.
Summer songs remind us: to be silly, to laugh, to seize the moment, and to echo through the hills and valleys, a call for peace throughout the land.
As I lay in bed that night at Amelia’s, I think: What a comical yet complex day this has been — the singing cards.
— Nadia Crane, Wine & Faith – 19 Days in Napa
Summer songs come from everywhere— from yellow submarines to singing cards, from car radios to campfire rounds. They remind us how music moves through the stages of our lives and how each of us, in our own special ways, can teach the world to sing.
This summer,
May you find your very own yellow submarine — a bright little place of joy floating in a sea of green beneath the waves.
Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away.
Vacation by The Gogo’s
Summer vacations. The bigger adventures. Pack a bag. Grab a map. And follow the open road, train, boat, or plane.
State parks. Tents flapping in the wind. The sounds of crackling campfires. Mesmerized by an endless sky of stars.
RVs hugging narrow roads. Mountain lions in the distance. Archeological finds waiting to be discovered. It’s a small world looping in our minds over and over again.
Which one is your favorite? Mine is Mesa Verde National Park— where cliff dwellers turn back time, stairs lead to fire pits and kivas, and petroglyph panels reveal a language all their own.
Image Credit: “Mesa Verde” by Elaine from Sheffield, England is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Summer Vacations. The beach calls. The ocean waves pull you to surf. You can feel the salt on your skin. And you can taste it too.
Vacations nudge us out of our comfort zones. Trying new foods. New locations. New trails New adventures. Discovering courage you didn’t know you had.
So, go ahead and lean into the fun and see where it will take you.
Summertime is fun! Summertime is a time for unexpected adventures!
– Nadia Crane, It’s Summertime – Part 4 (Blog, 8/29/21)
This summer,
May your adventures lead you somewhere unforgettable — toward wonder, toward joy, toward the part of you that wakes up when you wander far from home.
Water calls to us in summer. Do you hear it? Rivers. Lakes. Oceans. Cleansing us. Reflecting on us. Refreshing what feels old and stale.
Summer outings. Going down the shore. Or to the beach, depending on where you’re from. Sand in my toes. Ice cream on the boardwalk. Salt in the air. Light, airy, and bubbly.
Summer outings. Day trips. Lakes. Or ponds. Floating. Fishing. Sailing. Canoeing. Kayaking. Still water that settles the soul.
Summer outings. Day trips. Rivers. Tubing. Jumping off rope. Rafting down the Buffalo. Getting to know someone special.
Summer outings. Day trips. Little escapes. Change the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Relinquish fears to set sail.
— Nadia Crane, I and Thou: Happy New Year! (Blog, 12/31/23)
This summer,
May the Spirit meet you in your outings— in your comings and your goings. May the water wash away fear and anxiety and refresh you where you need it most.
I Wonder as I Wander, by Jacob Niles (performed by Barbra Streisand)
Summer wanderings. Days that last a little longer. Inviting us to drift. No agenda. Just a quiet nudge to explore.
Wanderings. Unhurried. Unplanned. Moving from one place to another — or no place at all.
Through farmers’ markets. Flea markets. Grocery aisles bursting with color. Strawberry reds. Blueberry blues. Lime‑green grapes. All calling our names to take them home.
Down shaded trails. Along cobblestone roads. Toward waterfalls tucked out of sight. Into bookstores brimming with books. Past marinas where boats wait to sail far away.
Summer wanderings teach us: to slow our pace, to follow our nudges, and to notice the beauty of the in‑between places.
Wander. Meander. Wherever you go. Chatting. Reflecting. Alone or with a friend. Go lightly. Follow your heart. To all the places your spirit leads. Even if it’s…
Wandering in a plush green forest…
— Nadia Crane, The Dance of Love, Florida Writers Anthology
This summer,
May your wanderings lead you somewhere unexpected — toward joy, toward peace, toward the place your heart has been trying to find.
We stick together and can see it through cause you’ve got a friend in me
You’ve God a Friend in Me by Randy Newman
Friends are like pearls. Found in an oyster. Lots of people come and go. But real friends stick around.
Summer friends are different. Lighter. Less intense. They stretch you. And make you smile and laugh.
Summer friendships come and go like breezes. They teach us: To let go of complication. To let joy in without overthinking it. To be free.
Sure, friends come and go. Hang on to the ones who are uplifting. Let go of ones who aren’t.
– Nadia Crane, I and Thou: Summertime Part 3 (Blog, 7/15/23)
This summer,
May the friends who cross your path bring you simple joys, lightness, and a kindness that reminds you to step out of your comfort zone every now and again.
Summer breeze makes me feel fine blowin through the jasmine in my mind
Summer Breeze by Keith Urban
A breeze is magical. It’s soft. It’s whimsy. It’s freeing. A feeling of refreshment hits the face.
Breezes are life-giving. They are gentle. They arrive unannounced. They lift us toward the light.
Summer breezes come and go. They teach us: To release what’s holding us back. To move with the Spirit – not against it. And free us from judgment so we can feel again.
Daisies are early risers, like the tulips. They grow, thin and slender, swaying in the breeze.
On the Sabbath- we are reminded that we are not human doings, but human beings.
Rob Bell
Most people would agree that rest and rejuvenation are necessary for self-care. We need to be our best so we can take care of ourselves and others. This makes sense. Do you agree?
Then, we can stretch this out to theorize that spending time in nature allows us to nourish our souls so we can rest in creation. Today, we continue the theme of rest, specifically, Sabbath rest.
Rest on the Seventh Day
In the Story of Creation, we learn that God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between. God created one day each week solely to rest. God made a point of distinguishing one day from all the others. This speaks volumes. God provided the seventh day to rest. To give us permission to take a break from everyday life. In other words, to stop and smell the roses.
Photo Credit: Arkansas Rose by Ruth Walton, iPhone
Action: Set aside one day a week to unplug from work and technology.
Through rest, we can sense God’s love and connection. A mind, body, and soul connection.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. – Exodus 20:8-11
Keep the Sabbath Holy
In this scripture, God commands us to keep the Sabbath day holy. What does holy mean? On www.myjewishlearning.com, “Holiness is imparted and maintained through ritual, prayer, formal declaration, and the avoidance of specific “abominations.”” In Britt Mooney’s What Does it Really Mean to be Holy, on chrisitanity.com, “Holy refers to something or someone set apart or consecrated for a specific purpose.”
Holy appears throughout the Bible to describe God’s nature, attributes, actions, and expectations of us.
If we believe that God is holy and is set apart from worldly things, we accept that God is the source of truth and love. These earthly things are temporary. They get in the way of our relationship to nature and to God. The solitude of nature heals us from the brokenness of ourselves and the world.
Sabbath, What is the Big Deal?
This sacred time holds profound historical and spiritual significance, particularly, yet not limited, to Judaism. In Judaism, it is a sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. It symbolizes freedom and divine protection to the Israelites by God.
Jewish people all over the world observe the Sabbath. It begins at sundown on Fridays with lighting candles, reciting blessings, and sharing a meal. It concludes at sundown the following evening. This practice of the Sabbath has unified the Jewish people into who they are today.
Reflect on the Present
The Sabbath allows us to rest, reflect, and renew—a sort of balance to all the craziness we experience otherwise. Observing that one day of the week is different from the rest helps us honor time itself. The mundane is set aside for the sacred.
How do you currently spend your weekends? What activities help you feel rested and renewed? How can you create a Sabbath-like rest in your weekly routine?
Sabbath also fosters a sense of community and family bonding. In Kendra Cherry, MSEd’s recent article How to Increase Your Sense of Belonging in VeryWell, she writes, “Our need to belong is what drives us to seek out stable, long-lasting relationships with other people.”
Action: Set aside time each week to spend with family. Create a better sense of belonging by calling and texting family on a regular basis.
The Sabbath’s blend of historical roots and spiritual depth makes it a cornerstone of Jewish life. It offers a weekly reminder of faith, freedom, and community. Honoring the Sabbath connects you to God, self, family, and community. In Sabbath rest, we can unplug technology and focus on what truly matters. What type of Sabbath rest are you seeking?
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.
George Washington Carver
Our last post discussed the imperative need to rest and recharge. Today, we will explore the concept of finding rest in nature.
Camping as a Kid
When I was a kid, my family went camping every summer. It was something my dad looked forward to each year. Me, not so much. But, when you are a kid, you learn to grin and bear it.
My dad worked in an environment where noise prevented him from hearing others speak. The air was filled with dust, metal shavings, and oil substances. Gears churned within the walls, and motors whistled, so it was no wonder he wanted to escape to the woods.It was his happy place.
Image Source: publicdomainpictures dot net
As much as I didn’t like camping, I remember nature’s sounds: the potatoes wrapped in foil crackling in the fire, the crickets chirping, and the owls hooting at night. And then the stars. I remember looking up at the vast sky and seeing millions of stars I had never seen before—or perhaps didn’t choose to stop and appreciate at home. One thing I learned while camping was the closeness I felt to God. I saw God everywhere.
Reflect on Your Past
To better understand your relationship with nature, consider the following:
Did your childhood teach you how to connect with nature? Were you able to explore the outdoors on your own or in groups? How did your parents feel about nature?
Action: Spend a few minutes reflecting on your past experiences with nature. Write down one memorable experience and how it made you feel. Use this reflection to connect with your current relationship with the outdoors.
The Gift of Creation
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:2-3
Nature reflects God’s beauty and provides a sanctuary for rest. Signs of nature are everywhere, from the tiny tadpoles near a stream to the crabs crawling on a beach. If you choose to notice.
Action:Promise yourself to spend time outdoors. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a hike, or simply sitting on your patio, go be in nature. Quiet yourself as you hear the birds and experience the nature around you. Start with short, mindful moments of rest. Rest for your mental and physical well-being. Gradually increase your time spent outdoors.
Connecting with nature opens up the opportunity to connect with Spirit, which allows you to communicate with the Creator of all nature. In God, rest and rejuvenation are found. Like the woman at the well in the Gospel of John 4:10, God offers each one of us living water. It is this water that brings us eternal rest.
The Dog Days of Summer are here, and they are hot. “Dog days” comes from the ancient Dog Star. It was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star was responsible for July and August weather. The Romans called this period “dies caniculares” or “days of the dog.”
As Summer comes to a close, over the next few weeks, we will explore what the Bible has to say about weather. We will look at how God used natural elements to communicate. When you think of it, many Bible stories involve weather.
“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Genesis 9:11
Heat
Wind
Dryness
Rainbows
Rain
We will look at these in the context of the stories we all know. Here are some of them:
God used a flood to judge humanity’s wickedness and save Noah and his family. He also used a rainbow to show his covenant with Noah and all living creatures.
In the Passover Story, God used hail, thunder, lightning, and fire to plague the Egyptians. To persuade Pharaoh to let his people go. He also used a strong east wind to part the Red Sea and to drown Pharaoh’s army.
God used a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to guide the Israelites in the wilderness.
God used a drought to punish the idolatrous Israelites and to prove his supremacy over Baal. He also used fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice and to demonstrate his power.
God used a whirlwind to take Elijah to heaven in a chariot of fire. He also used a still, small voice to speak to Elisha after a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire.
In the Story of Jonah, God used a storm to convince Jonah to stop running away from his mission.
In the Nativity Story, God used a star to announce Jesus’s birth and lead the wise men to him.
In calming the sea story, God used the wind and waves to test his disciples’ faith and reveal his authority over nature. He also used a calm sea to show his peace and power.
God used an earthquake, darkness, and thunder to mark the death of Jesus on the cross and to signify his victory over sin and death.
Next time, we will explore the weather and the Story of Noah.
Meanwhile, let us breathe in the coolness of
love,
grace,
and mercy as we exhale the hot messes of brokenness, impatience, and unkindness.
If you enjoyed this post, please like, share, and comment. (This is my “call to action” I’m supposed to include in every post and often forget.)
I and Thou Reflections 