The Lazy Days of Summer Are Here!

Greetings to all from sunny California. Summer is here! Can you believe it? Today will be the longest day, and the shortest night of the year.

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth," resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

Summer Solstice Fun Facts

Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

For us Summer is one of the many "good and perfect gifts" from our heavenly Father Jehovah that reflects is love, wisdom, and power. It is a perfect time to marvel and think deeply about his incredible creations, and express graditude and thanks to him as a sacrifice of praise, and tell others about all his ways. He takes note of that. (Psalms 50:23; Psalms 51:15)

What are your plans for this summer?

When we think of summer, we think of warm weather, and fun in the sun. Swimming, picnics, barbeques, relaxing vacations or pleasant visits with relatives and friends are just a few of the many activities that fill our time.
Although the summer season is viewed by many as the "long, hot, lazy days of summer", for true Christians there may be long, hot days, but certainly not lazy. We keep busy, especially in spritiual activities. When making our summer plans, we must always remember to keep Kingdom interests in first place.

Here are a few things we can do.

▪ If you haven't already attended, make definite plans to attend the district convention.

▪ If you go away for a vacation, plan to attend the meetings of the local congregation and share in the ministry. It really is the hightlight of any vacation to meet new brothers and sisters.

▪ A visit with relatives who are not in the truth may give you a chance to do some productive informal witnessing.

▪ Have you thought about helping a nearby congregation that needs assistance in covering its territory, or going to unassigned territory?

▪ School vacations provide an excellent opportunity for young people to expand their service activity. How about applying to be an auxilliary pioneer?

▪ With pleasant weather and longer daylight hours, you may find that you can get excellent results in the service by doing more evening witnessing, when many people are at home.

Remember that “the plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage.” (Prov. 21:5) Plan to make the most of your summertime theocratic opportunities.

May this summer season bring you many joys and blessings, spiritually and otherwise.

This is Raven-as the crow flies!