Some years back, our adult son, Tim, stayed in our home.  When we returned he said, “Mom, I loved being here.  Everywhere I looked I saw you and Dad – your things, all that represents you is here.”

He went on to say it made him think of how the personality of God is seen everywhere in nature.  We talked of how it feels to take a walk without thinking, just feeling the sun, the wind; hearing the birds and sounds of children at play; smelling the earth’s aroma; taking time to touch the smoothness of a leaf or live moss on a rock.  The next best thing to being with the Father.  Pleasure-filled moments.  A form of play?

I am a fine one to write about having fun—just a beginner then and even so today in learning how to live a life less tightly structured.  Yet, the more I am into prayer, listening to God, the more I feel invited to relax and enjoy the earth and its people, living more spontaneously.

In my efforts to rediscover play I asked Gary to build a swing in the backyard.  He did.  And now the two of us go out in the cool of the evening, swing out over the hillside, thrilling at the view beyond.

Children are not the only ones who need play.  At any age the human spirit longs for adventure and recreation.  Watch children who have not yet learned there are chores to be done.  In love with life, they laugh, tickle, skip, sing, run and jump.

Dr. William Diehm, psychologist/author, claims those are the actions of people who are in love.  He said, “Do you want to recover the feeling of love?  Then act that way.  Don’t say you can’t.”

“People have been acting brave when they feel fearful, and acting nice when they feel mean, since the beginning of time.  It is not hypocritical; it is a method to recapture feelings by deliberately having fun.”

Adult forms of play – from tennis to table games – do not always rest the soul.  They may peak in a fit of competition or aggression.  It is hard to determine what is true play and what is not.  But the feeling you have while engaging in an activity is the determining factor.  If you feel light-hearted, happy and renewed while working in your garden, it is feasible to consider that a form of play.

I will never forget seeing my 80-year-old grandmother take off her shoes and walk through summer’s grass.  She told me of looking in the mirror and saying, “Is that old lady me?  Inside, I feel 19!”  Her words were surprising as this lady often complained of her arthritic pain.  Yet, in her heart she still loved fun.

A close friend and I decided recently when we are 80, we will go skipping hand in hand through the park.  After a good laugh at the thought of it I said, “We’d better do it now while we can.”

Truly, the greatest fun I have found is seeing laughter in the face of another.  No doubt this is why light-hearted teasing is fun.  But have you noticed the ubiquitous temptation to hurry right on, stifling even the slightest grin?  We take ourselves too seriously!

For the next three months, I intend to immerse myself in summer, taking time to find some fun.  I hope you will do the same.  Then write and tell what you discover!

Oh, by the way, I reached such a large number on my birthday last month that you might not see me skiing, or wave surfing on the lake! J  Going barefoot in the grass may have to suffice.

Watch for . . . you will come to it, by-and-by. And—there will still be plenty of fun to be had for those who are young at heart.

Those of us who have had many birthdays can also look forward to many blessings:

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness, (Proverbs 16:31).”

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit, (Jeremiah 17:7-8).