For the past couple of weeks I’ve been going to a creative non-fiction writing class taught by a woman named Valley.  She’s a fabulous teacher who knows how to get you to pull things out of the deep dark recesses of your brain.  Every week she has us start class with a writing prompt entitled “Right now I am.”  Each time I’ve written one of these I’ve been surprised at what my pen puts down on the paper.  I have no control over what I write.  I never know what is going to come flowing out of my hand until I see it flying across the page.  We have ten minutes to write what we want and when time is up pens go down and we share what we’ve written.  After I read aloud what I had written Valley renamed my piece “A Love Letter to Summer.”  Here is what I wrote today.

“Right now I am in a splendid spot.  The sun is shining ~ a big beautiful orb in the sky warming me from the outside in.  Spring has quickly been replaced by summer and I am ecstatic.

Summer.

The word conjures images of lazy afternoons spent basking in the sun, at the beach with the waves coming closer and closer, at the pool lounging on a float, on a screened in porch with the ceiling fan spinning creakily over-head.  I picture a tall glass of lemonade or sweet tea sitting beside me.  The sweat from the glass mirroring my own perspiration as the shrieks of small children splashing in the cool waters echo through the air.

Summer.

The word brings a smile to my face like no other season can.  Right now I am in the first blushes of my romance with my season of joy.  I envision days spent at the beach watching my children build sandcastles and ride the waves in as the ocean’s tide rolls in.  I see the corn hole boards set up, waiting for willing opponents to face off against each other ~ all of us vying for the bragging rights of being crowned champion of the corn hole tournament.  I smell the aroma of hotdogs and hamburgers roasting on the grill as hoards of children come circling around like seagulls, each clamoring for the first burger or dog hot off the grill.  I hear the crackle of a bonfire as the suns sets below the horizon and a summer day turns to a summer night and right now I am happy.”

I hope you enjoyed my love letter to summer.  I know I enjoyed writing it.  But to me, this piece is more than just about writing about summer it’s more about enjoying summer with my kiddos.

Oh, for the love of my children….