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A few days ago in the early evening I was on my way back into the house after taking pictures of a sunset when I noticed some clover that was bright green after its afternoon shower.

Clover

Clover reminds me of quiet summer days when I was a girl. I didn’t know any children whose summers were filled with one camp after another. I went to 4-H camp twice, once as a camper and once as a counselor. I also went to marching camp once and majorette camp a couple of times during high school. But my main summer activities weren’t really activities at all, unless you call sitting in the clover making clover chain necklaces and searching for four-leaf clovers an activity.

My little brother Steve and I played Monopoly® and danced the Mexican hat dance and played army. We walked down the street to the playground where he played baseball and I swung on the swings.

I made doll clothes and listened for the popsicle truck to round the curve below our house. I pretended I was a circus performer as I rode my bicycle on the sidewalk encircling our church across the street. I visited Daddy at work at his daddy’s grocery store behind our house — that was a treat because it had air conditioning and ICEE®’s which Daddy Leland let me squirt into the red and blue striped cups all by myself.

Childhood was a quiet and peaceful time, uncluttered by one expensive, time-consuming, and stress-filled activity after another.

I hope your children and their mama are looking forward to some unplanned summer days. Evidently God is pleased when people rest and enjoy and find peace and have fun. When the prophet Zechariah wrote about a future time of blessing for Zion, he said:

Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem,
each man with his staff in his hand because of age.
And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.”
Zechariah 8:4-5

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3 Comments

  1. Thank you, Charlene, for sharing that Bible verse. What a perfect application!
    That unstructured play time is a precious gift we can give our children. And it might be a great idea for adults, too!!

  2. I remember taking my kiddos for walks in the summertime when they were young. As we walked around our neighborhood loop, I was struck at how silent it was. No children playing in yards nor the street. They were evidently at summer camps, gymnastic lessons, sports practice, or playing video games inside. Fast forward two years to a new city and neighborhood…this time, we walked past a yard with an elaborate swing set, a fort, and two trampolines…but none of the 4 children that lived there were playing outside. I found myself shaking my head a lot over that.

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