Summertime - And The Livin' is Easy

According to the words of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, summer is the time when “livin’ is easy.”

Just the other day, I got to thinking about what all the word “summer” means here in South Carolina. It means bright red, ripe tomatoes and large, luscious peaches. And ice cream and watermelons. And lemonade and sweet iced tea.

It means picnics, swimming, water-skiing (although brother Shawn thinks this is a year ‘round activity; he always skis on New Year’s Day.)


The season is also one of long days, hammocks, no school, baseball, camps. And when there’s no school, no baseball, no camp, there’s often boredom and trouble-making.


There are mosquitoes, grasshoppers, gnats, ants, flies, crickets and more. By the way, did you know that most crickets chirp more when it’s hot? The higher the temperature, the faster the chirping.

Summer is often colorful and fragrant, with the blooms of hydrangea, gardenia, impatiens, sunflower, jasmine, hibiscus and more. It’s also semi-colorful with suntans and, too frequently, bright red sunburns.

Summer is the time of fans and air-conditioning. And lawn mowers and sprinklers.

With Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day, there’s even more flag-waving during our summertime.

More and more, it means a change of worship times and worship formats in congregations.

For many, it’s a season of vacations, family reunions and festivals.

Perhaps a guy named James Dent had the best observation about summer: “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”

 
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