Rediscovering Delight
What was your favourite summer treat when you were a kid? My brother always wanted ice cream. I preferred freezies. There was something very satisfying about sucking every last juicy morsel from the plastic wrap—plus there was less chance of getting sticky fingers. I think the heat of the day was what got me thinking about this.
I remember my grandmother making iced tea on hot summer days and serving it to us in the backyard as we sat in lawn chairs admiring my grandfather's flowers. If the sprinkler was on, we would run through it to cool off. Summer truly is a time to play and savour things. The smell of the BBQ or the crackle of the logs on a fire fills me with joy and warm memories of days gone by.
I was reminded recently of how wonderful it truly is to be out in nature at any age. I was visiting one of our seniors who asked if I would take her outside for a walk. She uses a wheelchair. "Of course!" I said. As we wandered through her neighbourhood, she became so excited to see the gardens and beautiful flowers. She noticed the birds and listened to every song they sang. She cried out with delight as I whisked her down a ramp and around a corner. (For the record... I may not be the safest wheelchair driver! We hit a few bumps that could have caused some damage.) As we settled into our walk, we came across a pine cone. I picked it up and handed it to her. She was delighted. She reached out to touch flowers and trees as we passed, and we stopped to pet a few neighbourhood dogs. It was a glorious adventure. It was fun.
In last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says, "I thank you, Creator, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants" (Matthew 11:25). I like to think of those "infants" as people who haven't lost their sense of wonder—people who can still play, notice, and be fully present to what is around them.
Maybe that's why I had so much fun at our church karaoke night. We sang songs from every generation with complete enthusiasm. There was laughter, food, friendship, and more than a few questionable high notes. For a couple of hours, nobody was worrying about deadlines or to-do lists. We were simply enjoying being together. I have so many fond memories of sitting outside on warm summer evenings with friends, watching the stars, talking, laughing, and simply enjoying each other's company. I want to do more of that. Somewhere along the way I have fallen victim to the belief that I don't have time for such things. But perhaps that is exactly why God gave us Sabbath.
Sabbath is not another task to check off our list. It is God's invitation to slow down long enough to notice life again. It is permission to delight in creation, to laugh with friends, to linger over a meal, to watch a thunderstorm roll in, to listen to birdsong, to smell the flowers, to savour a freezie, or simply to sit quietly beneath the stars. Perhaps Sabbath isn't about doing less so much as noticing more. This summer, my prayer is that we might recover a little of our inner child—that part of us that still knows how to wonder, play, and delight in the ordinary gifts of each day. Because sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is simply stop... and enjoy the life that God has already placed before us.
Blessings, Rev. Karen