Summer of Yes

 Happy Wednesday! 

For the past year (actually for the past two years or so) I've been subscribed to Grace Anne's Tuesday letters.

Every Tuesday I get an encouraging letter from her sent to my email. All of last year, I read them religiously every Tuesday. They were super encouraging, inspiring and just overall uplifting. But somewhere around the end of last year and the start of this year... I sort of fell off them. I fell off Hannah Brencher's Monday Club letters too. I stopped being excited to get them in my inbox every Monday and Tuesday. But last night, I was feeling kind of down and discouraged and in desperate need of uplifting. So I searched Grace Anne's email in my email inbox and all the Tuesday Letters I had missed popped up. And the first one that caught my eye was one titled The Summer of Yes. The reason it caught my eye is because for the past week that phrase has been going through my head. I read somewhere that apparently we're naming our summer this year? I don't know if that's a thing, but if it is, I like it haha Jenni Sauer said hers is going to be a Persephone summer and I love that not just because I love Persephone and Hades, but also for the reasons she said she chose that name in her post. And when I thought about what my summer would be called the first thing that came to mind was yes. Just saying yes to things even if it's scary or makes me nervous or anxious. 

We all had a pretty crappy 2020 in some way, shape or form. I don't know about you but the winter was brutal too. It felt like it went on forever and like nothing would ever get better. It felt a little hopeless. I was eagerly waiting for summer. Waiting for warm weather and the sun and doing things and seeing people and wearing shorts and dresses. Just all the summer things. For some that might be totally normal and your like, "so? I was looking forward to summer too, summer's my favorite season." Well, this is coming from a girl who can't stand summer. I don't like the heat, I don't like being in the sun for a super long time and having it beat down on me. For years I didn't even like wearing shorts because they're so uncomfortable and just annoying to me in general. I dread summer most of the time and wait excitedly and eagerly for fall to come all summer long. So when I say I couldn't wait for summer and I am enjoying every second of the sun and the heat and the hope that summer gives... that's saying something. That means the winter was real bad. 

I don't know if your winter was anything like mine, but I've come out of it - and 2020 in general - being less afraid to try new things. I'm an anxious, nervous person and I hate stepping out of my comfort zone. It's the worst. But so far this year I have tried two new Bible study groups without knowing a single person there! I've gone to a college Wednesday night's meet up thing - again without knowing anyone there. I've stayed out late talking to friends even though I get anxious when I'm not home and in bed at a certain time. I've driven by myself in a car! Something I honestly wasn't sure I would ever do. There's lots of other small things that I've said yes to that I don't regret for a moment and I know there are more things that are going to happen this summer that I am going to say yes to too even if it scares me. 

I'm tired of being afraid or letting my anxiety hold me back. So even if I have to say yes to myself and be like I'm doing this thing whether I want to or not, that's what I'm going to do. I know this is going to sound a little like the ending of Grace Anne's letter about this topic, but here's to not letting anxiety and fear hold us back. Do the thing even when it makes you uncomfortable or nervous. Say yes and don't let yourself try to talk yourself out of it. Just go for it and enjoy the ride. When God puts something in front of me I want to learn how to open up my hands and say yes to Him. And that's what I intend to do this summer. 

So if we're naming our summers this year, then my summer is a summer of yes. I'm excited to get to the end of the summer and look back and see all the things I said yes to even though I was scared. It'll be so rewarding and so fulfilling. Don't be afraid to do the same. Jump in this summer with both feet and see what happens. 

If you had to name your summer, what would this summer be named?