July 22, 2015

My Battle With Summer by Alan Anderson


Did the title of this blog grab your attention?  Are you a sun worshipper and have already resented the thoughts the title brings to your mind?  If so, you may have to stop reading now because this post may not be pretty!  Turn away now before it’s too late and you read the musings of one who has a battle with summer!  The term “battle” may call to one’s mind a serious contentious disagreement between two or more parties!  Yup, you guessed it, I have a battle with another party by the name of summer!


I live in what is known as the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.  Other parts of our country have given us a reputation for having a lot of rain.  I ask you, what’s the big deal about rain?  Oh, the sweet memories I have of rain even summer rain!  Oh, how I love walking through a puddle I didn’t notice in time and feeling its contents soaking through my shoes and socks!  Rain at this point in time is but a memory.


In the past at least two months this summer our area and other parts of the country have endured heat waves that don’t know when to stop!  Stop I tell you, cease and desist right now!  Oh the misery of over 30 degrees Celsius day in and day out!  In my area it is not unusual this summer for us to be inflicted with 35 Celsius or even higher.  Isn’t that just obscene?


As I write this post I am becoming aware that some readers may think, “Man, this guy is a real whiner!  He must be a total thrill to be around at a beach party!"  Well my friends, if you are indeed thinking such thoughts here is my reply.  I don’t go to beach parties!!  They are usually held during hot, sweaty weather like this summer and there’s sand that gets into your bathing suit and hamburgers!  There’s the smell of coconut butter that people lather themselves in!  Not me I tell you!  I’m in the shade writing about my battle with summer sipping a beer and eating veggie chips!  Please don’t think I indulge in alcohol very often only now and then!  Okay, now that I ‘ve gotten that off my chest I will continue!


Even with what I have stated to this point I am reminded of something fundamental to my faith.  I thank God that He created the seasons including summer!  Now and then I show how I may take things for granted like the beauty of His creation.  I see how summer heat can lead to forest fires that in turn lead to destruction and panic!  I hear of the threat of drought and how this threatens our water supply.


When we panic or perhaps I should say, when I panic, I may take things for granted.  Perhaps God even sends such things as summer heat to the degree many aren’t familiar with to remind us that even the winds and summer heat obey Him!  Nature has also been given limits that perhaps only God understands!  I sure don’t!  I therefore pray that my battle with summer soon ends and that things cool down.  I doubt I will ever welcome summer heat but perhaps God in His mercy will allow me to see the beauty around me in spite of it!



If you dear friends enjoy summer heat I pray you have been thrilled this summer!  Now, bring on the rain!


Personal Blog:  ScarredJoy@wordpress.com

6 comments:

  1. So many confessions, Alan! A non-heat worshipper, AND an occasional beer drinker? LOL. Your reminder is spot on, though. It's in these extremes that we remember God is in control and we're not. I add my Rain Prayers to yours for all of BC.

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  2. Alan, the other day we had a rainstorm and I felt your description of stepping into the puddle - such fun, I just wanted to splash! But I grew up playing in the sandy heat of the Okanagan so love the warmth and will never complain it is too hot, especially now living in the north where winters are so cold. The older I am, though, the more I appreciate the respite offered by air conditioned buildings and vehicles.

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  3. I enjoyed your humour, Alan, and I can identify. I wilt when it gets too hot and I freeze when it gets to cold and windy--with or without the beer. May I remind you, however, that you do live in Beautiful British Columbia. Yours is the only province or territory in Canada that carries these brags around the country. There must be a day somewhere on your calendar that offers the right conditions for writing. :-)

    Even I do and I don't live in Beautiful B.C.

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  4. I thank you ladies that you caught my humour! I love where I live and British Columbia truly is beautiful! The heat is just wrong! I was born in Scotland and although that was a few years ago I have to say I wasn't born for 35 celsius or above. My people were born to take the rain! As long as it doesn't flood I can take the rain and ya gotta love puddles! I write whenever and wherever! I really enjoy receiving your comments and appreciate your skills. Take care!

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  5. Alan--I don't battle with summer but I know many people that do. But that's the beauty of our uniqueness, isn't it? What a boring world this would be if everyone loved only summer. I mean, there wouldn't even be any winter olympics! And the rest of the seasons would be wasted on us. God is definitely a Masterful Designer.

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  6. Lots of laughs here, Alan--most appreciated. And I hope that you can enjoy summer in spite of the battle, like I enjoy winter, ha ha!

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