“Finally will it not be enough,
after much living, after
much dying

of those you have loved,
to sit on the porch near sundown
with your eyes simply open,
watching the wind shape the clouds

into the shape of clouds?

Even then you will remember

the history of love, shaped
in the shapes of flesh, everchanging
as the clouds that pass,  the blessed
yearning of body for body,
unending light.
You will remember, watching
the clouds, the future of love.”

~Wendell Berry~

“Summertime and the living is easy”, goes the popular phrase and indeed it is for a multitude of reasons- days are longer, life takes on a bit of a slower pace as everyone tries to accommodate their bodies to the heat and humidity, invitations to cook-outs and days at the beach fill out schedule, even a stay-cation is a welcome respite.  Getting in a walk in the early morning or late evening hours and being outside feels so good-unchained from the cool but artificial air of air-conditioning.    Even those ( like me) who have little tolerance for being outside on a hot day cannot deny the pleasure of sitting in a comfortable rocking chair at the end of the day or under the shade of an umbrella or tree  either by ourselves or with a friend or two to reminisce.  It is one of the most simplest gifts of life.