'The Loveliness of Summer Reading Fair"

"The Loveliness of Summer Reading"--just the thought of it makes me feel warm and cozy, as if I were already snuggled up with a good book, nestled in a hammock in my back yard. The sunshine is streaming through the leaves and the branches overhead making dancing light patterns on my book, warming my arms and legs as my eyes race over the words on the pages. My hammock is gently swaying; my leg hanging over the side - pushing off at times to keep me going. The breeze teases the pages, threatening to turn them faster than I. Ahh, summer days and summer reading -what fun, what comfort!

My thoughts turn to my childhood and running into the kitchen to find my Mom at the sink washing dishes and me so eager to tell her what had just happened in my newest Nancy Drew mystery book. In my excitement, I could hardly get the words out properly! My Mom continued to wash and I picked up a towel to dry, babbling on and on about my heroine, Nancy the sleuth and her newest mystery to solve or code to decipher. I wonder now if my Mom was as interested in my book as I was, but she always made me feel as though she was interested in me telling it all to her.

Those were the days, ones I vividly remember. The summers of childhood were long and hot and my life was carefree. Lots of books to read, my horse to care for and ride into the lake - adventures to live. Sometimes I would sit all by myself on our hill, with nature all around me, taking it all in with a book on my lap and the luxury of time in my pocket.

Flash forward - here I am writing a post about the "Loveliness of Summer Reading" while my summer thus far is all about writing a book--not about reading a book. With deadlines to fulfil, time seems like a luxury meant for others right now, not for me. I'm not sure when I will be able to pause to enjoy the fun of a good book. But I can encourage everyone else to grab onto this fleeting time and enjoy it. For myself - I can always reminisce and dream of it, looking forward to next summer! :)