InSpiritry

School’s Out for Summer!

If you have young people in your life, you know what makes the last week of May special: it is the end of the school year. University students have finished their exams, high school students are handing in final projects and elementary students are enjoying relay days and field trips. In classrooms everywhere, there is excitement in the air: for the next twelve weeks, no homework!

And it’s not just the kids who are excited. Parents are happy too. We realize our little darlings have survived another rite of passage: 1st grade or 5th grade or 9th grade or the first year of college– or we are relieved that their teachers survived them! We are also celebrating more monumental events. This month, some of us watched our children-somehow-grown-into-young-adults crossed the stage to receive the college diplomas dreamed about for so many years, and others of us will be cheering our graduates in a few days.  We are also excited that our children are looking forward to their first summer job or a trip with friends. For young families, the months ahead also promise swimming pools, days at home, summer camps, vacations, time for play and, that all important summer treasure, sleep!

Whether you are a student, a parent, a grandparent or even someone for whom school is a distant memory, the end of May can be a time of transition in your personal life. Consider your past nine months: Career. Family. Church. Volunteer Work. Finances. Social commitments. Home repairs. Goals to Meet. Yard work. Difficult Relationships. World Problems. Politics. Wow - we need a break!

Why not take a cue from the rhythm of the school year? Let this May be more than the month before June. Make it a time of creative ending-and-beginning in your life. Stop and take a vacation from the past year. Let go of stale habits and stressful thoughts. Make some changes, even if temporary ones. Give yourself a summer break. Use the next few weeks as a time of renewal!

Here are some encouragements for you:

• Adjust your routine. After months of doing things the same way at the same time, jostle your mind awake. Get up a little earlier (or later) in the morning. Take a different route to work. Eat lunch at a new place. Spend time outside. Visit new places. Enjoy the last few minutes of daylight. Do something fun in the evenings. Limit yourself to essential responsibilities. Take a trip. Rearrange your furniture. When we get in a rut, we stumble through the hours, having lost the joy of living. Live fully this summer!

• Look for miracles to inspire you. They are all around us. The natural beauty of this season of growth. The precious interactions between people: older adults and children, young couples, children, friends. The smiles of those who love us. The comfort of our own homes and families. The incredible mysteries of our bodies. Our undeserved good fortune. Author Kate Braestrup says that miracles are those things we most hope for and then have the presence of mind to appreciate. Anything is possible - embrace the miraculous in your life!

• Invigorate your spiritual life. Let go and let God. Take time to enjoy the things that heal your soul. Recommit to worship. Read sacred texts or inspirational books and blogs - or get back to your own writing. Spend time alone or visit an old friend. Pray, meditate, learn. Quiet your ambitions and consumer desires to hear your inner heartsong. Remember what is most important to you. Pull out photo albums. Be creative. Listen to your favorite music. Laugh. Love. Live!

The end of May is just around the corner. School will be out for summer. Children will be taking their summer break. Why not join them? If you can change your routine, celebrate everyday miracles and take care of your spirit, you will begin to  experience life like a child - and make summer a celebration of you!

When We Give Ourselves a Break, Summer Can Be a Blessing! 

Join the InSpiritry Conversation about this post!  What are you planning for this Summer?

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