The summer equinox brings to my mind a picture of children playing next to the base of a large mound of sand (or was it gravel) in an Irish farmyard. The game was school, and it went on and on, beyond tea time and into the late evening. As with most games of its kind the teacher might have been on the stricter side but, of course, children have such patience with each other when they role play. For these students, this particular school day couldn’t be long enough. 

I wasn’t directly involved. These were my children, and their cousins, outside. It will remain in my memory as one of our best trips “home” as a family. Certainly, it was the longest break we’d ever taken. Looking back, I now realize that the timing of the trip also factored into the magic. Discovering that the sky could  still illuminate a game of school at 10.30 at night was a moment destined to live forever in the minds and hearts of the young Americans. They might have been accustomed to summer weather patterns involving less scattered showers and sunny spells but never had they experienced June nights such as these. 

Long may we hold on to our memories of the simple pleasures in life. 

Long may we look to children as a source of wisdom.

Long may we celebrate the bright evenings of life.