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Summer Vacation – A Time for Making Memories

by | Jun 2, 2021 | Summertime Edition

Signs of summer are all around us. Trees are in lush, full, green leaf. Butterflies are all aflutter.

Vegetable gardens are showing signs of little squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers making their first appearance. (in the southern climates, that is. In the north, sounds like you’re finally hitting official, frost-free weather to safely plant those gardens!) 

While we aren’t through the total extent of COVID, we are beginning to see small festivals and summer events open again.

After a year of wanderlust, many are looking forward to traveling safely again to destinations that fill the heart…whether it’s beautiful, tropical sandy beaches or majestic mountains with refreshing cool air.

Spending time in our favorite places restores the soul.

In Chapter 10 of Wisdom from the Woods, one of the steps of Ginny’s journey in the woods was to start with a “weekend retreat.”

I was captivated with her story in Part One on pages 7-12 where she and her friend Loretta made the preliminary trip to Door County, Wisconsin.

Finding and choosing an inviting place to stay, exploring local shops and restaurants, and enjoying nature spots of an area are all activities that we can also do now in our summer adventures.

Packing for the Trip

I grew up in a lower-middle-class family. My Dad was an auto mechanic and my mother was a church secretary.

They did a great job of providing our basic needs with one splurge every year. They would save money for a week-long family vacation to Colorado to escape the triple-digit Dallas heat.

I started packing my suitcase a month before we were to leave. Three months before vacation time, I wrote to roadside motels and tourist attractions requesting brochures and would enjoy reading them over and over again.

My parents were good sports and sometimes my we would even stay in the places my ten-year-old travel agent self would find. My two brothers and I would be in awe of these “exotic” lands.

Wisdom from the Woods reminds us to pause, reflect and feel the joy of all our seasonal memories.

While my summer memories take me back to my childhood, Ginny’s favorite memories center around a delightful, meaningful summer in her cottage community in Door County, Wisconsin.

I have been invited as a guest, and it is just as beautiful and magical as you could possibly imagine. Her summertime is special because she uses it for her own pausing, reflecting, reading, journaling, making mandalas, AND inviting friends and family to JOIN her and her husband Jim to celebrate the wonderful days of summer.

Her grandchildren Max, Will, Wes, and Little Ruby delight in playing around the dock, enjoy water activities, and eat delicious, fresh seasonal cherry treats that Door County is famous for.

What are your favorite vacation memories?

Is it possible to return to places that bring you joy? How can you use a week to recharge your own batteries AND deepen relationship with family and friends by unplugging, pausing, reflecting, and “hanging out” with your loved ones? 

Summer is a time for making memories. 

Wisdom From The Woods: Summertime Edition

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