Summer pulsed fast this past year. Our days didn’t compete with time, but we thrummed to a cadence which was our own. In the desert, mid-May marked the end of school and the start of a new season for us. Those first weeks, our daughter slept-in most mornings, a new change from her waking early in the past. The days were filled with quiet time at home, cooking and baking in the kitchen and movie nights in the evening. I worked in my office, while my daughter shared the space with me by either crafting or reading a book. At the end of May, my sister and her husband visited  – we hiked a local trail, hung out at home cooking and enjoying our meals together. There is a comforting familiarity with family – inside jokes, laughter and lounging around on a Saturday morning in our pajamas.

June ushered in more of the same, but with tennis and art camps filling the days. I remember the first time I dropped my daughter off at a summer camp a few years ago and she kept clinging to me, not wanting me to leave her with a new teacher. This past summer she didn’t hesitate at all – making new friends, conversing with the teacher and waving goodbye with the words, “You don’t have to stay, Momma.” It hit me, next summer meant double-digits and her ascent into adulthood. In seven short years, she will take her SAT’s, apply for college and look forward to creating a space and leaving the tenderness of childhood behind. These thoughts fuel my need to keep her close and relish all of my moments with her, good and bad.

In July we enjoyed catching blockbusters, Inside Out and Jurassic World. It also meant time for our annual summer trip. This year, New York and New Jersey. Our daughter loved learning about Lady Liberty in school and couldn’t wait to see her in person. Strolls in Central Park, eating falafel sandwiches in Greenwich Village and the Broadway experience highlighted our vacation in the Big Apple. We visited with family and our daughter spent time with her great-grandmother and cousins. My favorite photo is catching a glimpse of my two favorite people standing side by side in the middle of Central Park. This captured the mood of the summer – connecting with those I love and cherish the most.

August meant one more trip – a belated birthday celebration for my mom in Vegas. We hung out by the pool with my entire family and my mom spent time bonding with her granddaughter at the David Copperfield magic show. Family dinners, eating crepes in the middle of the day and a few rolls at the roulette table meant a new kind of fun. As quickly as summer arrived it disappeared as mid-August landed. Back-to-school meant the days belong elsewhere, but as I take a look a back, I glance at the picture of the ballet dancer I was fortunate to witness in Central Park. Poised and graceful, her hands demonstrate the perfect metaphor of our summer – leaving behind the goodness and transitioning into the next season,  but remaining still enough to honor the present moment.

A special thanks to writer friends, Lindsey and Kristen for the summer post inspiration.