A Different Kind of Summer
by Heather McAnear
This year is off to a very weird start. Our family took a spring break trip to Florida in March, unsure of what would happen once we returned. Then of course, all manner of crazy COVID measures broke loose. Wanting to protect others, we went into a self-imposed, fourteen-day quarantine which I called “Corona Family Camp,” complete with a sign for the fridge, meals to eat and activities to try. “How fun this will be!” I thought, as I tucked our family into our home stocked with food, puzzles and games for fourteen days, which then turned into seven weeks. As the freezer emptied out, puzzles were completed and too many cinnamon rolls were baked, I began to realize this might not be as short-lived as we’d hoped.
Fast-forward to June, and it’s now official—summer as we know it has been “canceled.” Even though many of the things we did during quarantine were life-giving (read this post on CR Women), extending the changes into summer was not met with positive emotions. What are we to do? Whether you are a parent with kids at home who need structure and fun or a retired single adult, I hope to spark some creativity for you as we think about a different kind of summer.
Many of the things we embraced during quarantine are things we can keep doing this summer, such as mailing letters and small gifts to friends and loved ones, baking and sharing treats (using health precautions of course), playing cards and board games, working puzzles, exploring outside, taking walks and bike rides, working in the garden and gathering around the dinner table, watching the CRBC devotions.
Summer is usually a time for camps, vacations and VBS, but with cancellations this year, it opens our schedules to reach out to our neighbors in new and creative ways. In summers past, our daughter has hosted a kids’ camp in our backyard and will continue this summer. We have been brainstorming other ways to celebrate summer this year which might include getting friends together for a “youth camp at home” for a few days, volunteering with our church’s local missions partners (contact Makenzie Magnus here for details), serving elderly neighbors, inviting friends and neighbors over for a cookout and Bible study or book club, sending letters and/or video messages to missionary friends and just enjoying the world God made and a slower pace of life.
COVID-19 can’t cancel summer, it just might look different this year. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Let’s embrace this time and season for all that the Lord has in store for us.
Author Bio
Heather McAnear is a wife, mom, author and speaker with a passion for sharing God's truth to help people use it for God's glory. She also hosts the Uniquely Beautiful Stories podcast on iTunes. She loves teaching young married couples with her husband, homeschooling their three children, traveling the world, enjoying good chocolate and long conversations in coffee shops. CRBC has been her church home for two decades.