Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Slowing Summer: Step Back in Time



Just like pioneers of days gone by, we have been heading west to spend some time with my parents in Colorado. On our way, we stopped in Kansas City to see family and took an afternoon to enjoy some local history! The Shoal Creek Living History museum was such a treat to see - right in a big bustling city there is this gem of quiet and slow!

We had perfect weather and enjoyed the preserved buildings that give us a glimpse into the past.










There is an idyllic quality to places like this - they promote close-knit community and a simpler way of life. Of course, when you really think about what life was like for early settlers, it was not easy for them and it is easy for me to think of only the sweetness of times like those rather than the hardships they faced.

It can be fun for an hour or two, though, to let yourself live in the idyllic and simple beauty of the past. Imagining life in another era and letting the slow of that time seep into you.





One of the blessings of history is this imagining and learning from those who have gone before us. I want to be able to look at a home like this one pictured above and see the beauty in home, family, living, valuing the things that really matter and passing that on to the next generation.

Why is it that these pioneer cabins always look so inviting? Is it the lighting? The muted homespun colors, the simplicity of it, the timelessness of that simplicity?

Perhaps it is all these things in combination or even just my perspective on what I'm seeing. Regardless, I'm grateful for places like this that do allow us to just pause and take that deep breath and enjoy the beauty and peace of it for a few moments.














As we enter summer, my heart is needing a slow summer - maybe you are there too? I will be sharing ideas for slowing summer and this is the first - take an afternoon to enjoy history, something from the past and let yourself step into the slow of another time even just for a few moments of your day.