This year, summer.... just wasn't. It slipped by so fast. There's a lot to be said about intentions vs the desires of the heart. My intentions were to have a fun filled, carefully scheduled (as always), memory making...endless summer. Park day, swim day, library day, movie day, and the oh so famous...PAJAMA DAY! That's what every summer has looked like (since I've had kids), except this one.
Elder Ballard visited the Menifee California Stake last May. He counseled...make quality memories. Don't drop your kids off at the mall, or watch a movie. That's not interacting. Be there. So I took the bull by the horns. Since every summer I get the "What are we doing today?", "What else are we doing today?"! Blood, sweat and tears go into scheduling a summer. So I figured we'd fly by the seat of our pants.
We didn't go to theme parks, regular parks, the kids didn't swim (in the repo we bought because of the pool), the free movies weren't free anymore, our library is too small, and the popular library was always packed. We did though have a ton of pajama days, and I mean A TON!
I thought I was slipping into a deep depression...but it was just a conflict in my heart...intentions vs desires of the heart. I really wanted to make quality memories this summer instead of making sure everyday was filled with activities. The catch was, I wasn't sure I was being successful at it.
Looking back, after feeling like crud, I realized I had fulfilled the desire of my heart. We planted an garden (and stank to high heaven for days on end),
baked too much,
Along with a few trips to the beach...I'd say it was an amazing summer...complete with the realization that I provided my children the greatest opportunity by having an unscheduled summer for our family...quality memories that will last through the eternities.
