Letter from the Editor
Restlessness. Why did we choose restlessness as the theme for this issue? It was six months ago when Mikaela and I spontaneously locked in the themes for our third year while saying goodbye after playing Ticket to Ride and eating homemade buffalo dip on New Year’s Day. We hadn’t intended to have a Trivium meeting or even discuss the magazine, but suddenly, inspiration struck and we ran into her office and started jotting ideas down. In that moment we decided to switch things up by pairing each issue with a saint, and then also link the saint with a word to serve as our theme. I can’t recall what our reasoning was at the moment, but somehow restlessness seemed appropriate as the opening theme. Now, in retrospect, I think it perfectly captures that in-between feeling we often find ourselves experiencing during the summer months.
In summer the pace changes. We’re out and about more: socially and outdoors. Days are longer, but the extra daylight usually just means there is more on the calendar and to do list. We may decide to tackle long house projects or hit the road for a much-needed vacation. Barbecues, picnics, graduation parties, and weddings abound. Throughout the highs and lows, the dripping ice cream cones and pool parties, the iced lattes on the go and frenzied moments at the airport, sometimes summertime can leave us feeling a little burnt out (especially if you’re an easily sunburnt redhead like me).
It’s during those moments, when we notice how fast our calendars fill up and how suddenly autumn is at the doorstep, that we feel an innate pang at the loss of time and a yearning for more. “How did summer fly by so quickly,” we ask ourselves.
Years ago, when my siblings and friends were out playing in the countryside all summer long, our parents would ring a giant bell to call us back when it was time to go home. After traipsing all the way back to the house, we would disappointedly state that “we were just starting to have fun.” That’s how summer always feels to me. Even when my summer is full of adventures, every beautiful sunny day calls out the little child in me and makes me want to get up from my desk at work, run out the door and frolic through a field or jump in a swimming pool and enjoy a meal outside.
As Mary Carolla tenderly depicts in her poem “Onward and Upward,” there is something about a child’s instinctive curiosity and inability to sit still that reveals something deeply true and beautiful about our souls. Maybe we aren’t trying to climb onto countertops or eat everything in sight, but no matter what age we may be, we are still searching and hungering for more.
Ultimately I think summer is paradoxical because while it keeps us busy and can make us yearn for some of the routine that the rest of the year affords, it still shows us a glimpse of the peace that we are made to experience. Those moments gently swinging in a hammock, while listening to the leaves rustling in the trees and sipping an iced beverage remind us that peace is not only desirable, but also possible. We aren’t designed for a life of constant rushing and restlessness. We are designed for an eternity of rest: resting in Him.
Before I conclude, I have two requests from you. In just nine days I will be getting married and starting a whole new adventure—the biggest summer adventure of my life. As soon as we set the wedding date I knew this summer issue would be launching just days before and that it was going to be tight. These past few months have been a whirlwind, and fitting Trivium into the mix of planning a large wedding and packing up my house has been quite the challenge. We have striven to keep this issue on schedule and up to our regular standards, but if anything is amiss, I want to apologize in advance and ask for your grace. Finally, please keep me and my future husband in your prayers. Thank you!
-Rachel Gerring, Executive Editor
