The Golden Time of Day

Summer for me has always been special. For so many years it was not just the long break from school, but a time when the family got together to do fun things. While we kids ran up and down the street, Cousin E.J. would be on the grill hookin' up some ribs. Aunt Sally would come in the house with Cousin Larry, carrying big aluminum pans full of chicken, baked beans, cucumber salad and her famous fruit pie (I have to admit I have yet to try it this pie, but everyone enjoys it. Maybe I'll do that this summer.). Then there were the times when Grandma would let me go out in the backyard to play with the neighbors and give me a plastic cup full of ice to munch on. Or when Mommy would sit out on the front steps and watch me ride my bike with no hands. At my Daddy's house there was always a BBQ going. He'd mix up his homemade BBQ sauce and slather it on the chicken and ribs that he'd seasoned perfectly.

I remember each summer, as the evening went along, there was a breeze. That was my favorite part of each day. As I've gotten older, that breeze still encompasses me every late Spring and every Summer. It's as if God is floating through the air allowing His Spirit to cool the Earth. While at Hampton I would take a walk to the waterfront and sit watching the water ripple beneath the boats and listen to the birds chirp. I would let the breeze blow through my hair while I thought of how blessed I was to be there.

Those summer moments when you can take the time to sit quietly. Those summer moments when you can watch the sun go down. Those summer moments when you can simply be.

Those moments for me are golden.  The Golden Time of Day.

Rasheena and I at Buckroe Beach May 2008