Simple Summer

As summer nears, I always find myself making a big Summer Bucket List. I check out all the local events, buy simple crafts for the toddler, bigger projects for the older kids, and maybe even something a little ambitious for myself. I pick up new popsicle molds, vowing we’ll only make homemade frozen treats so I know exactly what’s in them.

Yet, I usually also toss a couple boxes of store-bought freeze pops into the cart, imagining how fun it will be to hand them out on the go. (Because I’m a “fun mom,” right?)

Before long, every square on the calendar is filled, day trips, family visits, fireworks, church events, parades, playdates, potlucks. All of it sounds so good in the planning stages.

Then summer actually comes.

The days go fast. The nights leave me exhausted. I find myself breaking up more backyard squabbles than doing backyard crafts. The homemade popsicles happen once or twice, while the freezer pops are gone and restocked more times than I can count. And I start feeling guilty, like I didn’t plan enough, or worse, that I planned too much.

Maybe you’ve felt this too.

Summer rushes by, and instead of feeling rested and filled, we’re left wondering if we wasted it somehow.

But here’s the truth I’m learning: the best summer moments don’t always make it onto a list.

Toes in the sandbox with the kids. A walk with my husband after supper. Gardening while the children play nearby. A picnic dinner in the backyard. These are the memories that matter.

So this year, I’m choosing not to grip my plans so tightly. Instead of chasing every event, I’m chasing joy in the little things.

Please, my dear friends, let me tell you this from my heart, summer doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. It just has to be lived with love, presence, and gratitude.