[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]SUMMER! It’s simply a season and yet it triggers so many thoughts and emotions in each and every one of us. When you ask most people about their favorite summer memories a strange and consistent thing happens…childhood replays! It’s never a single event or activity. It’s a big picture of our summers as a child. Sun, nature, swimming, vacation, sleeping in, lightening bugs, bare feet, fishing, sprinklers, cookouts, camp, the list goes on and on and let’s not forget about playing with horses of course. If you are anything like me, once you start down a road of thinking of summer you start thinking of scenes from movies. It’s like my own memories fade in and out between scenes from the greatest summer movies, or The Andy Griffith Show starring my sister and I (oh what? you didn’t do that?). Why is this? What is it about “Summer” that triggers this rabbit trail of dreamy thoughts? One word comes to mind… simplicity.
Could it be that simplicity is something we all crave without even knowing it? How do we achieve those simple moments as adults so that when we hear the word ‘summer’ we can think about the joyful memories WE make as ADULTS? Or better yet, to make sure that we are helping our children and loved ones to make the same amazing summer memories! Here are 3 ideas that our Agape team put together to help us all with bring simplicity to our summers back.
1. Put your phone on airplane mode.
Uh oh. I may have started with the hardest one. Think back on those favorite child hood memories. Was anyone there sitting with a phone checking social media or responding to an email? Or talking on the phone in that back ground? They aren’t in my memories. The world won’t fall apart without you for a couple hours or even a day. Just try it and see.
2. Take time to play and get outside.
Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will 
understand everything better.” What a true and beautiful thought! I could go on and on for forever on this topic, but this time I think we should let that quote resonate all by itself. Both of our Agape locations in Cicero and Martinsville, are excellent places to soak in the beauty of God’s creation. Go wander – get lost – explore!
3. Do something good with your time.
Time is a precious gift that slips through our fingers each and every single day. Too many days pass us by where our time wasn’t given to the ones we love, the things we love, or the causes that break our hearts and challenge us. In summer the sun comes up earlier and goes down later. It’s almost as if God is granting us a couple extra hours every day to do something with. Let’s make that gift matter. Plan time with the ones you love. Plan time to do things you love. Plan to give back as an individual, a company, a couple or a family. If you need an idea, how about becoming a volunteer at Agape?
Yes, give back this summer. It’s human nature to need to have a greater purpose. Finding a place to donate time to a cause that triggers your heart to move is a giant step toward simplicity and wholeness. There is something so profound about stripping your needs/wants away and simply putting others first. Sharing moments with others you are in relationship with is an added bonus. In a recent blog with a couple of our volunteers, Bern said “We may not always be together the whole evening, but we always have common experiences to talk about and share on the way home!” You can find that blog at https://agaperiding.org/volunteer-spotlight-bern-kathy/.
So now – how will you bring simplicity to your summer?
Let us know in the comments below! But until next time, from all of us at Agape, we hope you have a wonderful and simple summer, a summer full of new memories, and magical moments with the ones you love.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]