This Monday, summer unofficially ends. On Saturday, Sept. 23, it officially ends.
And I confess that I will not mourn its passing now and then. Like 41 percent of Americans — according to one survey, at least — I prefer Autumn above its peers.
(No doubt that 41 percent would increase exponentially if Bluffton canceled Street Fair.)
I prefer Autumn colors and crispness; I prefer its sunsets; I prefer the smell of harvest and the promise that life will slow down mingled with the tingling promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
However, I will miss tar bubbles.
Every summer, they start to pop up — literally — along with the flowers, beans and corn as the sun heats the streaks and stripes of tar in the county’s chipseal roads.
Before long, residents can enjoy their own INDOT-created version of bubble wrap, as the little black mounds beg the old and young to bend down and squish them.
On particularly hot days, those brave enough to drive with windows down can enjoy a chorus of snaps and pops for miles.
But though I bid farewell to tar bubbles and the other simple pleasures of summer — the field where lightning bugs frolic, the melody of the tree frogs, the smell of hamburgers on the grill — I look forward to the simple pleasures of fall, and the simple pleasures of winter, and the simple pleasures of spring.
Ultimately, no matter the season, God promises a harvest of simple pleasures, and He deserves eyes that see them year-round and thank Him for them everyday.
Verse 1
Every day the Lord so faithfully abounds in grace
And mercy if my eyes can only see
For as the sun shines up above, and nature sings His praise
So I will join in worship’s harmony
Chorus
When I thank Him for blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
Help me, Lord, to know that I don’t even deserve these
When I take for granted how You love unworthy me
With all of the blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
So I’ll humbly
Fall upon my knees
To thank you for blue skies and green trees
Verse 2
Sometimes I’m tempted to demand more than my daily bread
When I look at this world’s wealth and fame
So Lord, I pray, direct my gaze on your sweet grace instead
For godliness with contentment is great gain
Chorus
Help me thank You for blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
Help me, Lord, to know that I don’t even deserve these
When I take for granted how You love unworthy me
With all of the blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
So I’ll humbly
Fall upon my knees
To thank you for blue skies and green trees
Bridge
Now some of you feel trapped within a winter in your soul
So hold fast to the living hope that Christ, who died, arose
And one day He’ll return to reign where tears will never flow
And lead you to the Tree of Life mid shining streets of gold
Chorus
Where we’ll always see blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
Help me, Lord, to know that I don’t even deserve these
When I take for granted how You love unworthy me
With all of the blue skies, green trees,
Birds’ choir, sweet breeze
So I’ll humbly
Fall upon my knees
To thank you for blue skies and green trees
baumofchet@gmail.com
