Planning a Slower Summer

I started thinking about this blog post a few months ago when things were “normal.” It was going to be about having a great staycation when everyone else is at the beach. It was right up my alley. We’ve done Dallas staycations where we stay in the city and see all the sites in our sweet metroplex. One of the reasons I think our family may always live here is because of everything DFW has to offer: museums, professional sports, amusement parks, water parks, state parks, shopping, amazing and diverse restaurants, “lakes,” zoos, aquariums, etc. What better place to live to have a staycation? You could stay in the city or just go on day trips all summer!

Then March happened. Everything closed, and everyone stayed home. Things are starting to open again but certainly not like we’re accustomed to. This year, we were planning to go to St. Louis for our family vacation. We were going to go to the St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center, Six Flags St. Louis, The Gateway Arch, Grant’s Farm, Forest Park, and City Museum. We were going to swim at the pool of our hotel in Union Station, eat out for every meal (I’m a sucker for St. Louis style pizza), and see all there was to see. We like to “do” on our vacations; none of us lounge well. I was frustrated, disappointed, and really wanted to just make it work. I checked the websites weekly to see what was happening, and as things started opening, it was clear this wasn’t going to be the vacation I had envisioned. Just one example is Six Flags: guests ages two and up have to wear masks, and you have to practice social distancing in lines for rides. We could go, but having the kids wear masks all day in the heat is a big ask. And the social distancing in line is where I just start laughing, because my sweet boy is a pogo stick in human form. So, we canceled our vacation and will be here this summer. Our normal staycation ideas don’t work because we run into the same problems we would have in St. Louis. A lot of camps have been canceled, we don’t own a vacation home in the Hamptons, a beach house along 30A, or a lake house in Michigan, and we just want to do something and go somewhere!

So, I can complain, or I can try to make peace with (maybe even embrace) this slower summer. To do that, though, I needed some help, because I didn’t want to give in, make peace with, or embrace it; I wanted to fit the square peg of our summer expectations into the round hole that is our current situation.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

My snarky side says, “Except most activities have been canceled or changed this season.” But that’s not true or helpful. This has been a season of puzzles, board games, Bahama Bucks runs, Lego building, trampoline jumping, and sprinkler running. It’s been beautiful and rewarding. My kids have exercised their imaginations, they’re playing together more, they’re resolving their own arguments, and we’ve learned so much about how they are uniquely made when we’ve been able to slow down enough and just watch and focus.

Last fall, we had that amazing Family Dinner Challenge program from our church, encouraging and challenging us to eat more meals together, and everyone I talked to loved it, that we were gifted with this time of family meals together every evening. No extra-curriculars to rush off to, no hurried drive-thru meals in the car just trying to get food in their bellies before activities – just time. Time to plan a meal, make a meal, and eat it together. I’ve learned my daughter loves helping make dinner, and she can do a lot more than I gave her credit for. Before I just “needed to get it done quickly” and I cook faster on my own, so I was missing so many opportunities with the kids in the kitchen just making a regular meal. Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him” and we’ve been given this bonus time with them. Things seem like they are exploding all around us, and we have extra moments to talk to them about everything, really listen to their questions, and thoughtfully answer the best we can. We’re with them constantly now and get to be an example of love and empathy.

I know it’s not like we pictured, but maybe if we change our picture and embrace the new one, it’ll be even better than “normal.” And seasons will change. We’ll be busy again. We’ll travel again. We’ll be closer than 6 feet and won’t remember where our masks are because it’s been so long since we’ve worn them. But that’s another season, and dragging our feet through this one isn’t going to make it go by any faster. When Paul is thanking the Philippians in chapter 4, he says “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” He’s content because of Jesus, and Jesus hasn’t gone anywhere. How great that we don’t have to be content and find the silver linings on our own; He’ll walk us through it and be where we find our peace.

In the meantime, I suggest we embrace the quiet moments, and depending on your family keep an eye out for things that are opening; guidelines are changing constantly, and maybe a mask at Six Flags doesn’t bother you in the slightest and you and your family can enjoy the roller coasters while the park isn’t crowded! The church has fun things planned for us, too. You can register for Family Experience on Sunday nights, you and your spouse can do The Rooted Marriage ministry’s Summer Date Nights, your family can help with Summer Lunches at Hilltown, Student Ministries is having Summer Midweek for sixth-twelfth graders, and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday you can pack the family up in the car and drop off food donations for our Community Care ministry.

Maybe this won’t be the most exciting summer, but maybe it’ll be a big summer for growth and a nice respite before the hustle and bustle that comes in the fall. We can be content in all of it, though, not because of church activities, a new puzzle or board game, or camp openings, but because we can find our rest in Jesus.

Author

  • Sheena Creek

    Greg and Sheena Creek are high school sweethearts and just celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary this past December. They both attended The University of Texas at Dallas before getting married. Greg is a cyber security engineer, and Sheena is a stay at home mom. They have two wonderful and crazy children, Colleen and Jensen, and one dog, Mr. J. They have been attending Stonebriar Community Church since 2008 and are connected with the body of Christ through their Sunday Fellowship group, The Journey. Greg and Sheena actively serve in both Early Childhood and High School Ministries, where they are happy to walk through life with people who need to see, feel, and fall in love with Jesus.

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