Lessons of Summer & Beaches

Sand & Stones
for Paint Party Friday
4x6" Water Soluble Pencil on 140# Strathmore Paper
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

It's the semi-official conclusion of this year's summer: Labor Day weekend.

It's the weekend that reminds us of all the things we wanted to do and of all that we didn't get done this summer.

Having spent the majority of my childhood near Long Island beaches,  it's odd having gotten through entire summer seasons without burying my toes in the coarse, sparkling sand for many years now.

The beaches were the place we went to celebrate freedom from the rigors of school at the first chance in June. Too much sun, freezing water, and lots of unneeded sand in the shoes officially began the long, lazy vacation. Throughout the season, cars would be packed tight with bodies and coolers and blankets for the day's outing to "the" beach. The summer ended with tans for some, freckles for others, jellyfish warnings in the heated ocean water, and a wonderful sense of justified lethargy.

Everyone was different in their perspectives, goals and needs. But, we were all the same when we played and baked our bodies by the ocean's side. And, no matter what sadnesses we carried, there was just happiness that reflected off those quartz granules.

Maybe that's why, though it's on my "summer to-do-list" every year, I have rarely made it back to a beach.

It wouldn't be the same. It couldn't be the same. None of us are the same as we were then. And, that's all right.

Summer ending can be a good thing, because, as noted by many before me, without winter's cold, how could we appreciate the summer's warmth?

We never seem to do everything we want to do because those every-day demands get in the way. But if we were always able to do everything we wanted, how would we appreciate what we have been able to do?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Trail to Light
Fire Island Lighthouse 2012
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

Generations

Family Tangle
Ink on Smooth Bristol©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

This month we had our annual family reunion. 

The gathering was started as a graduation celebrating our oldest daughter when she finished high school. It was such a wonderful experience, the decision to create an annual gathering was made.

It's not just a reunion though: it's a way to connect to a large, semi-scattered group of people who are intimately tied to each other by blood or marriage or less "traditional" relationships. And, even though we only really bring this many of the limbs of the family tree together one time a year, you realize that they are all a part of you and the course that your life has taken.

Gatherings like these make us whole. And remind us that our family will only continue to grow.

Seeing my children playing and fawning over my great-nieces and nephews, makes it clear that they want that connection. The great-nieces & great-nephews of varying ages taking care of each other, just naturally bonding, shows how much they belong together. And it is amazing. Listening to family stories and adventures brings the proverbial laughter and tears and, mostly, understanding.

We realize we are family, quirks and all. We belong to each other and we love each other.