Hello dear reader. If you read this blog title you might have, running through your mind, the memory of Ella Fitzgerald singing, “Summertime, and the living’ is easy, fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high” This beauty of a song was written in 1934 by George Gershwin. It was one of his first compositions for his brand new jazz opera ‘ Porgy and Bess’. I think it has become a bit of an anthem for this time of year.
How has your summer been? Is your livin’ easy? I know many people are joyously, but tentatively, emerging from pandemic mode and enjoying some social times and seeing family. One person at prayer group spoke of the sheer delight in seeing her kids and … wait for it … actually hugging them! She said it was a long hug!
I too gathered with my siblings this month for an afternoon of catching up. We were called together in order to celebrate my sister’s birthday. The conversation was wide ranging and, as those gatherings go, we got to reminiscing. It started light and carefree remembering child-hood antics, thinking of mom and dad, sharing stories that twigged the sharing of more stories. From the laughter came more memories and the tone shifted to somber when one remembered the rape of the neighbour girl on her way home from school. Tears pricked our eyes as we sat in silence thinking of the tragedy of it. None of us remember what became of the girl who grew up and then moved away and none of us knew what happened to the man. Were there charges? Did he go to jail? We don’t remember. But amongst us, on that summer afternoon of remembering there was sorrow, and yes, some guilt, that this had happened in our community and somehow as a collective we could not prevent it. Eventually the conversation shifted back to happier tales of times in family and community.
The afternoon has stayed with me, in part because I love any opportunity to be with my sibs, but also because it reminded me of the depth of human experience. From joy to sorrow, from pleasure to grief, tears and laugher intermingled.
There is a song in our hymn book, “Give to Us Laughter” – one verse says, “even in sorrow and hours of grief, laughter with tears brings most healing relief”. Summertime seems to be the perfect time to let the season – and the feelings – roll over me. A season of anticipation and recollection. A season of memory and imagination. A season of sorrow and healing.
