This summer is different.

Instead of swimming lessons or trips to the water park with friends…

My kids are spending afternoons running through the sprinklers in the backyard.

Instead of season passes to the local amusement park or tickets to outdoor concerts…

We’re packing picnics for hiking excursions as a family.

Instead of that driving trip up the coast of Oregon to watch the whales in August…

We’re taking a little road trip to visit the grandparents and cousins.

Sports camps are cancelled.

And instead of out-of-town basketball tournaments…

My boys are playing tons of pick-up games on our little hoop out back.

Yep.

This summer is different.

It’s simple.

And slow.

Slow enough for riding bikes to the park.

Slow enough for catching roly polies. And snails.

Slow enough for evenings around our firepit roasting smores.

Every morning we wake without an alarm and head out to the garden to check its progress.

Tomatoes and cucumbers and squash and sugar snap peas and potatoes.

Every afternoon we pore over the cookbook and attempt to bake a new sweet treat from scratch.

Cheesecake and cream puffs and chocolate layer cake and banana cream pie.

This is the summer for cartoon network, video games, and classic movies like Back to the Future or ET.

This is the summer for backyard bubbles and sidewalk chalk on the driveway.

This is the summer for grilling dinners and eating together on our back porch.

I’m not checking my watch.

In fact, I probably don’t know what day it is!!

And though it’s not the summer we had planned…

I’m realizing it’s exactly the summer my family needs.

It’s simple. And slow.

Ordinary.

And beautiful.

This summer is different.