I love hot summer days and long sunlit evenings. I love the greening of the earth and the flowering of nature. I love open windows and wearing light clothes. I love the changes vacations bring: the travel, the different places, the friends and relatives we share time with.
We have just returned from a vacation in North Carolina and a visit with our son Tom and wife Grace, and grandchildren Kieran and Lenora and her friend, Sina. We have visited there often enough that their home and their surroundings are known and comfortable. Tom and I can relax and enjoy the familiarity of it all. We even have favorite places to visit.
Again I am filled with gratitude for family. With family, just watching TV together can be special. We watched a documentary about the life of Gloria Steinem and relived those earlier years together when I was so involved in the Women’s Movement and the family was affected by that connection as they were having their own sixties and seventies experiences. We could talk about that time and what it meant to us then and what it means to us now.
We shared meals together. We celebrated birthdays, one past, one coming (though we were not allowed to sing for the one gone by). When it came time to leave. It was hard. We would love to live closer to everyone. Or we would love to extend our vacation and summer for a longer time.
I had not flown for awhile and expected it to be more of a hassle than it was. I think our age is a plus. People seem to be friendly and helpful. And the systems work. We were bumped up to first class on the way there. I must say I liked it though it doesn’t do much for my philosophical opposition to class privilege. Whenever we arrive home safely from a trip I always whisper “thank you Jesus”… even though I know Jesus has agents, like drivers and pilots who have more direct and material responsibility for a safe trip. One way or another, the phrase, “Vaya con Dios” applies.
While we were gone, our son, John and friends, Marcio and Bianca took good care of our dog, Miranda, which is not an easy task. She misses us and keeping her from being sad requires playing with her and giving her special loving care. We can’t thank them enough. She was very glad to see us when we got home. When will it dawn on her that she will not be played with as much or receive such lavish attention now that we are back?
School will soon begin. The days will shorten. The leaves will turn and we will say “good-bye” to another summer. Life will get busy again. We are not quite ready.
And one more thing. Do I think President Obama and his family need a vacation before the fall season heats up? You bet I do! It is crazy to expect him to carry the load he does on behalf of all of us, without a break. I want a rested President to deal with whatever lies ahead. Well as rested as a President can be. As his Press Secretary said, “A President never really takes a vacation.” Here’s hoping he ekes out as much as he can. Dare I say it, Donald Trump is an idiot for thinking our President should not take a vacation and ABC is just as bad for letting him express that view on TV.