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The summer solstice is the beginning of my favorite time of year. Summer solstice falls on June 21, often called the longest day of the year because that is the day the sun is supposed to hang still for the longest period in the sky than any other day. The word solstice comes from a latin word meaning "sun stand still." What does the summer solstice mean to me? From that day forward I start counting the days of summer dreading the colder weather and shorter days.

Summer solstice signals the most relaxing and generally happiest time of the year to me. I didn't grow up on a farm, so I can't say the solstice reminds me of planting or has any mid-summer (meaning mid growing season) meaning for me. However, the sights, sounds and warmth of the sunny summer months have always been welcoming to me in a special way.

All of my maternal aunts were school teachers and they played an enormous part during my childhood. I still remember visiting their classrooms before I was actually in school myself. I looked up to them and looked forward to the end of the school year so I could spend more time with my unmarried aunts. I loved them dearly and thought they were adventurous and fun, which probably had to do with their summer homes at the ocean beach. My aunts started my love affair with the ocean, summer and anything sandy and warm. From the wild honeysuckle that grew in their yards to the salty air we breathed all summer, it was all heaven to me.

Once I was old enough to be in school, the summer solstice fell only a few long, slow days before school was out for two glorious months. I loved school as a child but I loved the sun more. Back in those days we stayed outside until the sun went down. As children we suffered from a lack of video games,color television, fancy stereo equipment and occasional sun burn. The only thing to do during the summer months was play on the sand, in the water and listen to the waves. Occasionally we picked berries for pies. Reading was for rainy days and I loved reading, a life long habit I learned at the knee of a favorite aunt or three. My aunts all napped on rainy days and encouraged us to do so as well. Napping on a summer day became another life long habit, only interrupted by adulthood and employment.

Today, when summer solstice rolls around I find my dull drums disappear. My head is clearer and I'm more relaxed. The summer solstice brings memories of months in the sun, good times, and learning to read and to enjoy the sights and sounds of summer. The summer solstice means the world to me.

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