Well, it's finally back! Summer! It technically doesn't begin until June 21st, but it always feels very summery by this point in late May.
And as summer is unofficially beginning, I can't help but begin unofficially planning my summer vacations now too, which always, always, always include a trip to Ludlow, Vermont. My family's been going to Ludlow for over 25 years now, and it's just one of my favorite places to be on Planet Earth. We always stay on Lake Pauline, just outside of town, and it's become a truly sacred place for me.
I even put Lake Pauline and Ludlow, Vermont in my second book, The Papal Visitor. I just had to give the place a permanent spot in published literature, if for no other reason than pure selfish motives. By having part of my story take place there, I can revisit the place anytime I pick up my book!
It's funny how so many of my reflections in this ongoing year-long series are just flashbacks, but it's really a testament to how much you can appreciate behind you in the rear-view mirror as you come up to a major milestone in the road. By reflecting on years past, vacations past, I choose to honor their special place in my life history, and pause with gratitude for the special place in my heart they will always have for me.
Summer is often a time of year when we force ourselves to slow down a bit, when we take days off from work, or have time off from school, and just appreciate life and all its beauty. And I'm all about that! I try to do it year-round of course, but the warm weather certainly allows us to walk away from the computer more often, turn our backs on the desk at work and at home, and just really look around at the world around us.
I'll post more on Lake Pauline and Ludlow, Vermont in other reflections this summer, but as it's now unofficially summertime, I just had to unofficially bask in the awesome just ahead of me now! We only get so many years in life, and only so many summers within those years. So may the appreciation of summer now unofficially commence!
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