Slowing down for summer (and a poll for you to vote in)

"So, what are you doing with your kids this summer?"

It was an innocent question.

A friend was being politely curious, that's all.

But an imaginary spotlight shone down upon me, and an announcer's voice boomed, "Welcome! Yes, this is a test!"

"Uh, we're doing this Vacation Bible School, the one we're at right now as we're having this conversation," I told my friend. "We're going to New Mexico next month. We're going to try and get to the pool more often. Meet up with our homeschool group every Wednesday at the park. And, um, I've got a tie-dye kit."

Is that enough? Did I pass?

Do you feel pressured to pack your summer with as many glittery, Disney-esque funtimes as possible?

Beach. Camping. Movies. Stargazing. Carnival. Theme park. Festival. Concert. Road trip. Cruise.

😱

I love laid-back summer days.

Days when we're not rushing to and fro.

We're just, you know, watering the plants, riding bikes, and baking banana bread.

The best part about summer is NOT hurrying.

It's also being a less digital and more analog version of myself. (There's something about a warm, sunny day that makes looking at a screen seem like a sin.)

My summer has been busy so far. Every week and weekend has been jammed. I've found myself stressing about all of the things on my summer to-do list that I have NOT done yet.

I have not read very many books, either.

Everyone else, it seems, is polishing off beach reads, and my TBR is staring at me deadpan like a character from The Office.

Then, I remind myself that the best part of summer is NOT hurrying—at least, for me it is.

It's about slowing down long enough to process all of the things that I've been avoiding by hurrying so much.

It's stopping long enough to talk with my 18-year-old niece about why she deleted Snapchat. To listen while the brand-new mom debates the pros and cons of going back to work. To bring consistent discipline to some of my kids' behaviors that need curbing and correcting. To pray (really pray) for what God puts before me. To exist in the quiet and not be afraid of it.

The books can wait. The bucket list can go unchecked. It's okay.

Here's me, embracing the next few precious slow weeks of summer.

Until it gets busy again.

Cast your vote

My email provider just rolled out polls. Let's try one and see if it works!

I want to know what you'd like to see here at The Book Devotions come autumn.

After you vote, you'll see the live results, and I'll share the final percentages next week.

Meet Ken Priebe, author, illustrator, storyteller

When Ken compared his books to the movie Labyrinth, I knew I'd love them.

For the longest time, I thought my brother and I were the only kids in the world who knew about Labyrinth until the internet came on the scene, and I realized that we weren't the only GenXers who rented the VHS from our local Blockbuster.

​Check out Ken's picture interview on Library Binding this week, and you'll learn which of his books my boys loved, which animal Ken fears most, and how he feels about animatronic bands.

Book Lover's Grab Bag

🌎 Here's a great list of books set around the world by Lynn at From Our Bookshelf.

💧 Our New Religion Isn't Enough by Freya India. Her work has been eye-opening for me, since I didn't grow up with social media, nor did I grow up without the grounding force of faith in my life. She helps me better understand others. Here, she talks from a secular standpoint about the spiritual void.

🪐 The True Difference between Sci-Fi and Fantasy That No One Talks About by Clifford Stumme. Genre geeks, this one's for us.

As always, I'll leave you with one irresistible indulgence—for the artistically inclined.

Your devoted,

Michelle

P.S. Don't forget to scroll back up and vote in the poll.