Nurturing Your Summer Soul

Summer is a beautiful time to nurture our souls. Its lulling voice can be full of peaceful ripples or in-the-moment meditation so I try to take advantage of its beauty whenever I can. Of course, I need to hit the pause and reflect button to slow down the pace of life in order to make time for possibilities. 

“Repose, leisure, peace, belong among the elements of happiness. If we have not escaped from harried rush, from mad pursuit, from unrest, from the necessity of care, we are not happy.”  -excerpt from Happiness and Contemplation by Joseph Piper

For me, the beginning of the summer felt like a steeplechase race with a long to-do list. I was not nourishing my soul although I thought persistence would help me meet my expectations. Mid-July, I realized that the hustle and bustle pace needed to be reassessed. Was the constant heat making me aware of that? Rest and relaxation were needed. It was time to reflect on my one word, appreciate. 

I appreciate the summer months. They are God's gift to life, a time to be restored bodily and spiritually but I don't always stop to "gift" myself with the space and time to allow myself to just be. (Mylinda Baits, 7 Soul-Nurturing Strategies for Those Who Support Others}

Sunday was my 46th anniversary and it was time for my husband and me to live our best sweet-summer-life getaway and just be at peace for two days. While we did not travel to the ocean, we did retreat to the countryside where the weather was teeming rain but that did not dissuade us from relaxing. Quiet alone time, a gorgeous cottage, and great food allowed us to see nature in a different way during our short summer celebration. 

"Nature is the purest portal to inner peace."

Angie Weiland Crosby

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"If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you. it will be enough."

Meister Eckhart

Songs nurture my summer soul. Thank You!

 Thank You! Dewdrops still my soul.

Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

Nature's Shimmer Touches Life

drip-drop sounds break through silence 

dewdrops as visible as diamonds

glisten in the storm's aftermath

my soul benefits from

summer's morning shimmer

©CV, 2022, gogyoshi

A gogyoshi is a Japanese poem consisting of a title and five lines. No other rules!

Earth's beauty inspires me. Thank You!

What nurtures your summer soul? 

Link your blog post or artistic expression so the Spiritual Journey Thursday community can read your post and comment. You can add a graphic, photo, or poem to the Poetryliscious padlet here. Thank you for celebrating with me this month.

~Carol, August host of Spiritual Journey Thursday.

Thank you, Margaret Simon, for your direction in bringing this community together.

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THURSDAY

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