News
Editorial: The gift of summer brings nature’s joy
Scott Wagar
05/29/2012
This past weekend, Bottineau High School held its graduation, which to me is always a reminder that school is out and summer has arrived.
But then, thoughts of summer tasks enter into my mind, tasks like cutting grass, pulling weeds, painting, and the never ending house repairs from the brutality of winter.
One other thing that enters my mind is James Dent, who wrote, “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”
I love that comment because it is an encouragement for us to take a break from all our jobs and chores, and enjoy such summer activities like fishing, golfing, baseball, hiking, family picnics, swimming and horseback riding during the long summer days, which in North Dakota are filled with blue skies, warm temperatures and cool winds in a brilliant landscape graciously holding God’s touch.
The summertime also brings nature to its Nirvana, its pinnacle of stunning flowers with fragrance that saturates the earth’s air; tree buds, blossoms which explode with colors that delight our mind’s eye; and, one cannot forget the farmers’ crops which stream up from the dark, rich soil of the earth, ripples across the fields and brings life and existence into our lives.
Summer is our grace, our love and our freedom from the cold, white, frozen terrain of winter. Summer allows us to find a different peace from nature’s gifts; it grants us the opportunity to forget our troubles and lends us the ability to return back to our childhoods while enjoying the fun activities of the warm solstices.
The poet, William Carlos Williams, wrote, “In summer, the song sings itself.” These next few months, sing the song of summer, let its love overtake you and allow you to enjoy its moments, because guess what, the tasks will still be there, but in time we will get to them.