A sweet childhood memory was of my Granny and Grandpa’s front porch. The adults sat and talked as they strung green beans from the garden. My cousins and I played in the yard until we got hot, and then we’d settled in the shade on the porch.
Since they were working their way through bushels of beans, I realize that it wasn’t all just pleasure for the grown-ups, but the fact that we were all together made it special. Family stories were told, laughter was shared, and sometimes the conversation turned to God and faith. On occasion, the days ended with some of Grandpa’s homemade ice cream.
Other times, rows of tables would be set up in the yard. Everybody in the family brought platters heaped with fried chicken, biscuits, bowls of potato salad and my Aunt Louise’s oh-so-delicious fudge. There was usually so much food that we couldn’t get all the dishes on the tables.
There were days at the lake, sleeping in tents or on my uncle’s houseboat. I can still close my eyes and remember the aroma of the breakfasts that Uncle Ellis cooked each morning. We swam. We played ball. We made memories.
I know that my grandparents’ generation didn’t have many of our labor-saving devices to make life easier, but I miss the slower pace of that era. I miss counting the fireflies while rocking on the porch, leisurely Sunday dinners around their table and fun moments shared as a family.
Life is busy for most of us today. I often feel like I’m on a merry-go-round that keeps going faster and faster, that my to-do list stretches from North Carolina to Kansas. Now that our children are grown and have responsibilities, we have to work around numerous calendars to plan anything. Sometimes we get so busy, we miss the precious moments that are zooming by.
My husband and I really tried to spend as much time as we could with our sons while they were still at home, but we wish there had been more. Now that we’re blessed with six grandchildren, it’s even more important to be intentional when it comes to family time. We want them to grow up with wonderful memories of time together.
It takes planning for all of us to go on a trip together, but those days at Disney World or at the beach are priceless beyond words.
Friends, those memories you make as a family are the glue that will bond your hearts together through the years. That’s my message for all of us today: Don’t miss summer. Celebrate each precious day so that years from now, you have a wealth of memories to look back on. What fun family time can you plan today?
