A Day in June

"What is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays."

-- James Russell Lowell

New Year's resolutions have been made and broken. The Winter blahs have been banished for another season. Colds and flu are a mere memory. Baseball has replaced basketball as the game to enjoy. We've somehow adjusted to Daylight Saving Time. We've rushed through Lent. We've experienced the joys of Easter. We've honored mothers and grads. We've remembered those who have died during the past year. We've endured ice storms and floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. And now it's June!

This most pleasant month was probably named for Juno, the queen of Roman deities. Or, perhaps, named after "Juniores," the lower branch of the Roman Senate. Originally, June had only 26 days. Rome's first king, Romulus, added four days to the month; Numa Pompilies deleted one day; and Julius Caesar restored the total days to 30. What an unsettled history! Yet, June has remained calm and serene.

June offers us a diversity of experiences. June is filled with special days and memorable events. We observe Flag Day each June 14th. Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. And summer makes its debut on June 21st. June is also Adopt-A-Cat Month, Perennial Gardening Month, Dairy Month, National Candy Month, National Safety Month, National Rose Month, and Rebuild-Your-Life Month -- a little something for everyone!

June is filled with memorable moments and historical happenings. Ernest L. Thayer, in June 1888, published his famous poem, "Casey At Bat." The Sierra Club was incorporated in San Francisco in 1892. And in 1896, in Detroit, Henry Ford made a pre-dawn test run of his horseless carriage which he called a quadri-cycle. Margaret Mitchell published her novel, "Gone With The Wind," in New York City in 1936. In 1966, Edward White became the first American astronaut to "walk" in space during the flight of Gemini 4. The Beatles released their album, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," in June of 1967. And CNN went on the air in 1980.

Finally, on June 19 of 1846, the first recorded baseball game was played in Hoboken, New Jersey; the New York Nine beat the Knickerbockers, 23-1. And so began an American tradition.

June offers each of us the opportunity to recall each day of the month some important event in history or an important event in our own lives.

How good it is to remember! June offers us opportunities to celebrate the variety in life, a variety that spices up each day and seasons our lives with interesting and unexpected happenings. Life tastes better when seasoned!

Enjoy June while it lasts! As James Whitcomb Riley says: "Tell you what I like best, 'long about knee-deep in June, like to jes' git out and rest and not work at nothin' at all!"

Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.