these are the days

these are the days of summertime - before school begins and life gains it's speed again. 

these are the slow days - the days that force you to be still and to appreciate. 

they come quietly with late mornings and iced coffees and they resonate with bare feet on hard wood floors...with empty houses and with forced stillness. 

they are happy days. 

they are hot afternoons and sweaty brows...late night milkshakes and laughter that make cheeks sore. 

these are the days to rediscover the beauty of the south...to ditch preconceived notions and stereotypes, and to go deep into the South Carolina countryside to experience all the goodness of life in my sweet uncle's farm. To eat speckled butter beans and homemade ham rice...to sip on sweet tea and to tell stories about the best places to buy 'maters. 

these are the days to listen. to heed the wisdom passed down from older generations and to walk accordingly. 

they are days of simplicity - of freshly cut grass, of days spent in the water, and of dinners outside. 

they are days of light and of new beginnings...of forgiveness and love and grace upon grace upon grace. 

these are beautiful days. 

they can be hectic, and busy, and uncomfortable at times, but moment by moment they're something else - they're days of growth. 

and i'm learning to love them in spite of (and sometimes because of) their uncertainty. 

here's to slowing down and to enjoying the journey...

to savoring and to smiling. 

always, 

G