Happy Summer Solstice

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away. Ecclesiastes 3:1-6

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night. In the Northern Hemisphere it takes place between June 20 and 22, depending on the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year occurs between December 20 and 22. Over the course of history, many cultures have celebrated this day. Today, most of us just think of it as the “first day of summer”.

As I get older, I appreciate the changing seasons more. I still love summer, but I know that without the cold of winter, we wouldn’t rejoice with the beauty and warmth of spring and summer. A reminder to practice gratitude!

I have traveled Highway 77 through Nebraska countless times, heading back to Iowa for photography jobs. Many times during the first year we lived in Lincoln, I noticed three horses in a field near Lyons, Nebraska. I pulled over to the side of the road on the day of the summer solstice 2013 to take these photos. I love how the solstice’s lemony light illuminates the scene. A few years ago, the owner moved the horses. I don’t stop looking, however, just in case they're back. They had only been residing in that field for a season, it seemed. 

I am thankful that they were there that day, so that I could appreciate their beauty (and capture some photos!). Instead of focusing on the fact that they are gone, I can choose to remember fondly that they were there in the first place.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to practice gratitude in our lives. We know that without the darkness, we can’t fully appreciate the light. Without the winter, we can’t appreciate the spring. Thank you for the gift of seasons, literal and figurative, of our lives. Amen.

Donna Gustafson