Finding hope and giving thanks while finding myself in Britain
June. I find this time of year poignant, for sometimes the ache of separation from loved ones in the States feels exacerbated in the summer. My social-media feeds burst with photos of graduations, picnics, and the last days of school. And sunshine.
The contrast can seem strong, for my kids have another six weeks of school so there’s no counting down the days for them. And although I probably now ascribe to an all-year view of education in terms of continuity and learning, I also remember the long summers I enjoyed in Minnesota. So long that I even had the opportunity to get bored. Something that my kids, as we cram in family holidays and a trip to Minnesota with Christian camps, have hardly the chance to do.
But if I was in America now, no doubt I would have a long list of things I missed from June in the UK, such as long evenings, Wimbledon on the BBC (no adverts!), perfect Pimms, weather that can change from sunshine to rain to sunshine to rain again (as it has today), and never being overheated.
And I’m reminded again of how through giving thanks, our outlook can change. The above quotation actually comes from the chapter in Finding Myself in Britain on Harvest and Thanksgiving, but it can easily apply to the good ole summertime as well. For as I made my list of just a few things to give thanks for here on this island, my mood lifted and I look forward in hope.
What do you most like about June? What would you miss if you lived in a different country?
Hello! 
I love June because it has the longest days, and because the early summer foliage is so beautiful – that fresh, light, green.
If I lived in another country, I would miss the green, and I would miss the turn of the seasons. I like the transition from one season to another. (The hardest transition is winter, but the most hopeful is spring.)
Oh that green as you describe it so well – fresh and light. I love it too. And I don’t think I could live in a place like Florida that didn’t have the turn of seasons. Although autumn is tough; I think the thought of the dark is what I find the hardest.