July
I am a firm believer in the power of imagery! I proclaim with Katherine McCoy who is also “convinced that abstract form, imagery, color, texture and material convey meaning equal to or greater than words!” Someone can read the words, “lovely July afternoon.” But that same person can see an image of an umbrella-laden beach chair overlooking the sea, and it conjures up a wealth of feelings, memories, and desires….no words needed!
This month I share 4 such rich images that for me and my family embody the month of July. It was always and continues to be the month when for one week we…all 16 of us…spend a special time with each other under the same large roof ( a multi-room home) in Dennisport, MA. My husband and I started out asking my aunt and uncle for their mobile home there years ago, for just a few days, the 2 of us. Two became 16 thanks to daughters, husbands, grandchildren, etc. over the span of some 50 years! We love Cape Cod and travel there other times of the year as well, and our daughters know to call me “when you get to the bridge!!” The image alone of that bridge signals entering another world for us…slower life, deep appreciation of traditions and memories made there…all brought to the surface just by seeing that bridge. A few years ago, we found a wooden sign that says it all, and it has pride of place on our screened-in porch…”Call me when you get to the bridge.” That bridge is the threshold for us, making it official that we are on vacation, crossing over to a more relaxed state of mind, and anticipating our time together.
We actually are lucky enough to live not very far from each other at all, affording many chances to get together. But that week in July, when we wake up, each at their own time, we find a large common table where the one who woke up first has made copious amounts of coffee, and we sit …one by one, until somehow we’re all there talking, sharing something we might be reading, telling stories, laughing, pouring more coffee…until someone says “Oh my God, do you know what time it is?” More laughter and little by little plans are made to get ready for the beach. “Who’s making supper tonight? (as we each take a night) and what time do you need us back?” And off we go with lunch fixings, until that same table enfolds us, our laughter, and more stories over another shared meal. Just the image of that table conveys warmth as we remember how much we are loved and how very lucky we are!
The sea and sitting beside it, walking its shoreline, and breathing its ancient rhythm is still another rich image that teaches its yearly lesson to slow down and caresses all of us with soothing breezes, sandy toes, and precious little naps with paperbacks gently turned over in our laps. Looking out at that vastness surfaces desire to sail away as you gaze at colorful boats on the horizon. If you believe in Mystery, there’s no question of its tangibility at the ocean’s edge: life itself had its beginning here, and for those with eyes that see, it will always restore, rejuvenate, renew even the most tired, sagging soul.
Our week all too often goes by quickly, and even though we are less patient with each other and begin by Friday to long for our own spaces and beds, there is always reticence and sadness when we have to leave. The last evening there, no one cooks but instead we go out to eat, followed by stopping at a school playground nearby to use the swings, followed by a trip to Cuffy’s for new sweatshirts, followed by sunset at Mayflower beach, followed by ice cream! This is a sacred tradition never to be altered…it just is!! The 3 oldest grandchildren have grown up and now share the same pattern of “leaving the Cape,” even when they go for just a day at other times with friends. It’s what we do, and that sunset seals things up for us each and every July week. As that big red sun dissolves at the edge of the earth, and we stand there and ponder and then the entire beach explodes with applause… it’s time to go home…and we do with grateful hearts silently begging inside and hoping for “one more year.”
Have a blessed month of July…honor its weeks with traditions and memories of your own!
