The End of Summer

   As summer comes to an end I find myself rushing to do the things I was sure I wold get to during the slower days of June and July. I intended to clean out all of the old clothes and shoes I don't need anymore. I was sure I would bake cookies and can tomatoes. I resolved to finally straighten up the old planters and trowels that have accumulated on the side of the house. Somehow the summer slipped away, the clothes are still crammed in the closets, we are without cookies or canned tomatoes, the side of the house is still as cluttered as it was last summer. Other good things were accomplished during the summer, but many small and tedious chores were left for another time.
   The well intended yet unfullfilled goals of summer echo the well intended yet unfiulfilled goals of many relationships. It is easy to intend to listen to our spouse without interrupting, to spend more individual time with the children, to call our brothers and sisters just to check in. It is very difficult to carve out the time from our schedules and to break into our routines in order to accomplish our goals.
   Just as summer ticks by so do the years. As my own children turn into adults I am moved by a new urgency to disrupt my set schedule to find the time to be with them. In years to come I may mildly regret the mess in the side yard, but I will look back at this summer and not regret laughing over a long lunch with my family or watching movies with a big bowl of popcorn between us. God has blessed us with relationships and families. Those relationships deserve our time and energy more than any overstuffed sock drawer. Let summer chores slip away the only important part of the chore chart is to love and nurture our relationships.