I am leaving tomorrow for a couple of weeks of R and R at a family summer home. This place is dear to my heart and I have not ever been able to spend much time there but this is my second trip this summer and I am grateful to be able to do that this year.

The best thing about this modest home is the swing on the front porch. Suspended from the ceiling, it makes a sweet tiny squeak each time it moves back and forth.  It is loaded with a variety of small pillows so you can arrange it just right for visiting with neighbors, reading a good book or taking an afternoon nap.

I’ve written many journal pages in that swing over the years, done hundreds of crossword puzzles, and read a milliion pages.  This year has been special though because I’ve been sitting there listening to my 90 year old father tell stories of his childhood and of family members whom I barely knew as a child.  What a privilege thishas been!

We all need time like this but unfortunately, they don’t build houses with porches and swings anymore. A whole generation has grown up not knowing the joy of just sitting and swinging. You can hear the birds singing, watch the squirrels and chipmunks run in the woods, feel the cool breeze in your hair, and just let your mind go for that time.

And of course, you can take a good nap. This is my daughter who has been napping on this swing her whole life and who discovered this summer that she still fits!

Swinging and napping - it just doesn’t get any better than that! Try it if you can…..  I’ll be blogging from here for the next couple of weeks.

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