END OF SUMMER?

END OF SUMMER?  A few years back, a number of priests gathered for an Advent day of prayer.  During lunch, the conversation turned to the long nights of winter.  One of the priests commented that the saddest day of the year for him was not December 21, the shortest day of the year, but June 23.  We asked, “Why” and he replied that the days began to get shorter from that day on and he thought that was sad.  We thought that he was nuts and all of us would trade December 21 for June 23 any day.

That being said, the days are getting shorter.  Last month it stayed light outside until 10:00 pm.  Now darkness begins at 9:00 am.  Last Sunday I awoke at 6:00 am. to make my holy hour and had to turn on a lamp for the first time since early June.

I came back from vacation last Saturday and there is a feeling that summer is over.  Fall sports practices begin next week.  Most of the school renovations are over and teachers and students will begin wandering the halls soon.  Plans have to be made for autumn.  Believe it or not, we have to order our snow melt in August.

Back in the winter, although it was a rather mild one, we all made plans for the summer.  We pictured times by the pool or on the boat or on vacation.  In our winter dreams, those times seemed to go on forever.  In reality, they were fleeting.

There is still time for more summer fun.  It will be warm throughout August and September.  But the days will still be getting shorter.  The sunlight will take on a different color.  Football will fill our Saturdays and the lakes will be a lot more quiet.

According to my priest friend, it is all downhill from now until December 21.  There is probably some sort of deep meaning in all of this but I think I will go outside and soak up some sun.

Blue Highways Michigan

In 1999, William Least Heat-Moon published a book, Blue Highways, A Journey Across America. In it he told of his adventure across America, driving the blue highways. On a map, interstate highways are usually colored red. State highways are colored blue. He wanted to travel the back roads and see the towns and villages that are often skipped by the expressways. I did my own mini version over a long weekend. I left Lapeer and traveled state and county roads to Bay Port, Michigan on the west shore of Michigan's Thumb. Then I travelled from the Thumb across the state to New Buffalo, Michigan on the Indiana border on Lake Michigan. I decided to skip the expressways and drive the blue highways. It was a real pleasant drive. Slowing to 55 on two lane highways, was a great stress reliever. I saw small towns and drove across the agricultural heartland of the state. Fields of corn and beans and sugar beets stretched along rolling hills. Prosperous farms painted white were predominant with only the occasional shell of an 1890's farm house abandoned and overgrown. The small towns hosted car washes and antique fairs. Some looked prosperous and others mostly abandoned. The occasional sign warning of Amish wagons caught my attention. Reaching the west side of the state I drove on the Blue Star Highway for 100 miles along the shore through stands of trees and alongside dunes. The occasional break in the trees allowed for views of the big lake. Expressways are meant for speed and hills are softened and curves gentle. On the blue highways the road, rather than taming natures landscape, went over or around what the glaciers had deposited many years ago. Bridges crossed streams. Wayside stores and scenic outlooks dotted the drive. When I was a child, my family always vacationed "up north". This was well before the interstate highways we built. The only way north was via the blue highways, slowing for towns and road side attractions like Mystery Spot, road side cheese stands, farmers selling sweet corn, tomatos and home made preserves. I discovered that the road side stands still are there are fresh produce abounds. I figured my trip took about 6 1/2 hours adding about 30 minutes to the time. Those 30 minutes were well worth the price paid avoiding truck traffic, construction back-ups and the monotony of super highways. The blue highways showed me that the still is a wealth of history to be seen at a much slower pace.

Oh My Aching Back

(In late May, 2012, I suffered some sever back pain that was diagnosed as Degenerative Spinal Disease, moderate to sever Lumbar Stenosis and a large amount of arthritis in my lower back.  Over the past 5 weeks I have begun therapy with epidural injections and have seen some improvement.)

LEARNING TO COPE AND GROWING IN HUMILITY: I know that my back issues are relatively minor compared with what so many of you have to endure.  Many of you suffer greater pain and have done so for many more years. 

The last time that I had surgery (with the exception of some oral surgery) was when I was six years old and had my tonsils removed.  I have been blessed with good health and an active lifestyle.  Up until 6 weeks ago, I rode my bike 5 or 6 times a week ranging from10 to 25 miles.  I would kayak around the lake weekly.  I cut the grass at the rectory and at my cottage.  The dog and I went for long walks every Monday in the woods near my cottage. I loved to build things and do home improvement projects.  For the past six weeks I have not been able to do any of these.

I have had to rely on the kindness of others to cut my grass.  Many have stepped forward when I had to do something as simple as move a chair in church and did the task.  At times I resent my limitations and am not always as gracious as I should be when someone steps forward to help me.  But I have begun to learn to ask for help.  I am learning to be grateful when others come forward.  I have been thanking God for all those gifts that I used in the past.  I have been thanking God for all those who have stepped forward to help.  I am slowly learning to cope with my limitations and not “rage against the wind” when I find that I cannot do something.

I hope that in the next couple of weeks I will be able to get back to doing the things I love.  The healing continues and I should be back to almost where I was before.  I am sure that I will have to add exercises for my lower back to the ones I do now for my neck.

St. Luke says that Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace. As I grow older I have to both accept the limitations that come with aging and go forward with courage to celebrate the things I can do.