Three Questions for Your Soul as Summer Begins

As we organize our summer schedules and activities, Laura Range encourages moms to be intentional with relationships too. 

Summertime is on the horizon with only a couple weeks left of May. As a new season arrives, it usually brings new schedules and routines. You might be the mom whose planner is full of sports, camps, and activities for your children — with you as the personal chauffeur. Maybe your crew is full of little ones and your summer looks more like fun in the sprinkler, popsicles on the porch, and an occasional trip to the zoo. Perhaps you have big plans for a house project or gardening, a fun trip or vacation, or a family reunion.  

Whatever your summer looks like this year, take a moment this month before it starts rolling. Just as we plan and prepare for new schedules, a new season also offers us the opportunity to consider our relationships with God and with others and how we are investing in them. Too often we can slide right into the next busy season on autopilot instead of prayerfully pausing and intentionally pondering. For a moment, put away the planner and take out your journal instead. Grab a glass of lemonade, find a quiet place in the sunshine, and invite the Holy Spirit to come with you. With Him as your guide, ask your heart these three questions.  

How is my prayer life?  

How can you grow closer to the Lord this summer? Can you add a weekday Mass or time of Adoration with the kids now that school is out? Is there a spiritual book you could add to the stack of beach reads on your list? Can you create a habit of a glass of cold brew on the patio in the early morning as you read the daily Gospel and reflection? Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you with ways to grow in prayer and relationship with God this season. 

How is my marriage?  

Are you intentional about growing as a wife or does your marriage tend to get the leftovers of your day and energy? Can you schedule in a few date nights over the next couple of months? Can you try praying a Rosary together around a campfire or on an evening walk? Ask the Holy Spirit — and your husband! — to show you ways you can grow closer together as a couple this summer in faith, love, and joy. 

How am I cultivating authentic friendship? 

As mothers, we need the type of friends who will love us in our messes while still encouraging us to strive for holiness. Social media lacks the warmth and authenticity of real-life friendship and too often it feeds comparison and materialism. Consider starting a weekly play group with other moms and have a topic each week to discuss, such as a virtue or saint or the daily readings. Invite a woman from church over for a simple lunch or afternoon coffee. Ask a friend to read a spiritual book with you this summer and get together to discuss it. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you courage and vulnerability in seeking and growing deeper friendships this summer. 

Do any of these resonate with you as areas you want to pour into more intentionally this summer? 

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Copyright 2024 Laura Range
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