Today at 00:24 (well, for us here in the Eastern Time Zone, at least) the Summer Solstice occurred, marking not only the longest day of the year, but the official beginning of summer. It is a time that some celebrate spiritually; for others it is merely another Wednesday.
In honour of summer’s return I offer up my poem from Under a Sunlit Sky.

“Summertime”
Memories blow through like a summer breeze
Sometimes warm, forceful, and lasting
Other times a cool whispering of wind
Moonlit nights of long talks and shadows casting
Chance encounters and chats in coffee shops
With talk of memories past and new ones yet to come
All the while the pungent smell outside of fruiting crops
and gatherings at beaches and backyard barbecues
Summer is the adolescence of our year
A time to grow and have fun
Before the introspection of autumn makes the memories clear
And the long cold winter a time to reflect on what has passed
Spring returns and we make plans for another “Best Summer Ever”
And so it is that the wheel forever turns
Memories are washed away by the chance thunderstorms
While others are rooted deep in our souls by a soft morning rain
Sometimes the dark clouds rumble in the distance
But eventually the Sun will break through
So we may sit in the green grass under the shade of trees
Loving one another
And reliving each memory as if it’s our last
~R. Wolf Baldassarro

Photo taken by Yours Truly in East Tawas, Michigan