Summer.

I think it’s my favorite season.

Yes, the days are longer. But it’s not just that. It seems like there is more time, more space.

Today, my children and I went with friends to the lake.  There was water, sand, sun and sky.  We drank iced tea and root beer, ate peanut butter and jelly, had chicken salad.  My son used his snorkel and saw a fish skeleton. The girls swam, played tennis, and shot a few baskets. They bought ice cream bars from the snack shack.  All three of them, even the teenagers, played on the playground and marveled at how much my 12-year-old son had grown, that this year he equals his sister’s weight and they can seesaw together for the first time.

My friend is someone I have known casually for years, one of the best kind of people, someone that I have always loved talking to. There hasn’t always been much time for that, though, in our ordinary days. Today was different; today was summer. While the kids frolicked, we sat on the beach in our chairs, watched the water move, and talked. Our conversation was a gift, wandering into areas that can be sensitive and scary.  I have long known that the best friendships grow through vulnerability and that these relationships are rare. The older I get, the more I cherish them. Today, as we sat by the water and moved toward the sun when the breeze got chilly, our friendship deepened.

The day wore on, as all days do, and soon it was time to pack up the coolers, fold up the chairs and head home. Just a regular Wednesday at the end of June. But there was water, sun, sand, sky. There was time for talking and just being- all sweet gifts of summer, my favorite time of the year.

Here is another confession.

When the day’s work is finally done–dinner, dishes, laundry, stinky cat box cleaning– and my husband is home from work, my family and I often gather on the couch and watch television. In my ideal world, this would not be such a common occurrence. We would spend most evenings in conversation or playing educational board games or cards.

I like board games and cards in theory.

In the real world? We collapse on the couch.

Thankfully, there are some good television shows out there.  Our favorite summer escape right now is America’s Got Talent (AGT).  AGT is a national talent show judged by celebrities including the grumpy Simon Cowell. There are a few terrible acts that make it onto the show, but mostly the contestants are amazing. They are singers and dancers, clowns and magicians.  At the start of the season, the judges vote after each act and send the best through to the next round.  Everyone is happy at that point, thrilled to stay in the competition.

There are a few special acts, though-  acts that are advanced through the competition and sent directly to the live shows. The only way to get there is by way of the golden buzzer. Each judge has a buzzer they can hit one time.  When this happens, confetti falls from the theater ceiling. The crowd roars.  The chosen contestant stands on the stage, looking bewildered, and cries. The celebrity judge goes to the stage and gives the contestant a hug.  Also, the contestant’s loved one who was waiting in the wings comes onto the stage and cries, as do many members of the audience.   One of the most recent contestants to get a golden buzzer was a young deaf woman who sang beautifully and performed an original song that left everyone in tears.

There is something special about that golden buzzer moment. It’s as if all the work the contestant has invested over the years is finally validated.  Maybe they knew before the show that they were talented. Or they hoped so.  But to finally get on that stage and get the golden buzzer?  It is affirmation, confirmation. It is love.

I adore those golden buzzer moments.  Maybe it’s because my centering prayer practice is helping me see something about God that the golden buzzer captures so well:  God loves us with a golden buzzer love. And God pushes that golden buzzer gleefully for each of us, everyday. The crazy thing is that it’s not just for the few of us who are talented enough to perform on the AGT stage. As soon as we wake up, no matter how we wake up, God is there for us, pressing the golden buzzer.  It doesn’t matter if we are tired, crabby, sad, depressed, regretful, hopeful, sick, or sobbing.  We wake up, and God greets us with a wild embrace.  The golden buzzer reminds me that we are accepted, seen, and cherished. Each of us is worthy of confetti and applause, tears and a hug from a celebrity. Everyday. Every moment. Every breath. Just because we are here. Just because we are.