SUMMER IS HERE!
Hooray! Summer is here! No more home school, no more homework or testing. It feels like freedom!
The pools and lakes await our arrival, and “fun in the sun” is in full swing! Some will get to pass the lazy days of summer with relaxation and amusement, and others will find this a time to work their hardest.
I remember my sixteenth summer, and the anticipation knowing it was going to be amazing.
As soon as I got my driver’s license, I drove to Athens for my lifeguard training and certification.
I was hired on at Hard Labor Creek for the summer (this was at the old beach near the campground area, if you remember that far back).
We had to swim across the lake in the mornings…over to the dam where all the leeches lived. I remember the lifeguard team having to pull the leeches off of each other when we made it back to the beach; but we were so worn out we hardly cared.
During that same summer, I worked the night shift at the McDonalds in Covington. I gave this job 100 percent and it paid off because my manager ended up putting me in the drive-through because I could get people through the line so fast. So, I had my own little world with a window to the outside where all the fun was.
As the summer progressed, it got harder to work both jobs. Don’t get me wrong, they were both pretty amazing. But at the lake, the summer got hotter, and hardly anyone swam in August.
Our boss had us at the golf course in that heat, pulling ‘goose grass’ on all of the greens. School was also about to start again, and cheerleading practice was up and going.
Then my hours at McDonalds got crazy. So as a teen, I had to make adult decisions, and learn how to prioritize my time.
As an adult, I can look back and see how the decisions I made affected my future. While in the middle of the decision making, I thought I was just getting through it all.
However, looking back I realize that I was working my summer jobs because I desired more for myself than to sit around all summer, waiting for something to happen.
So this summer, if that’s you, you find yourself sitting around waiting for something to happen, get up. Get out there and look for a job. Can’t find one… Volunteer!
There are actually places around here that are trying to make a difference in someone’s life. You could help an elderly person, walk someone’s dog, or go grocery shopping for someone who is shut in.
Whatever you find to do, know this, Jesus loves you and He wants you to love yourself. When you try to be better, and get out there with people, you will see a something in your life that wasn’t there before. You won’t be waiting around for something to happen, you will be the change.
Peace and love, Cheryl