By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

Summer has finally arrived. It’s time for a deep breath and a cool drink.

Of course, there are still schedules and goals to accomplish. Although some students and teachers are off during the summers, many of us are still working. Certainly, sleep and time are easier to find, as schedules are more relaxed. Creativity zooms into high gear. Hopefully, summer allows the time to read, relax, reorganize and rearrange.

My youngest child starts high school this year. We’re cleaning out and giving away the last traces of childhood. I’m not sad about losing objects because I have pictures—oodles of pictures! I actually bought a camera when my kids were little that recorded photos on 3-by-5 discs. When friends asked me why I didn’t use film, I said, “Soon we’ll all keep all our pictures on computers.”

People laughed at me; however, readers have insight into the future. Thanks to that early, quirky camera, I have an additional decade of digital pictures. One advantage of going digital was the freedom to take unlimited photos. I have been organizing those photos lately—and remembering.

I remember the shows my kids would stage—the singing, dancing, piano and guitar performances, parades and acting. I remember my little kids’ shouts of, “Look at me!” from center stage, from the middle of the pool, from what seemed like the middle of the ocean.

And I remember looking up. I remember the performances, the pool tricks, the frightening crashes, the disappointments of the waves that never crested and the thrilling waves that magically delivered my children to the shore.

This summer, as you enjoy the library, church activities, pools, vacations, sports events, your own backyards and family rooms—remember to look at the kids. Watch their shows and tricks and enjoy the fleeting magic of childhood.

Take lots of pictures. Tuck away some memories. I’ll be looking at my oldest as she gets married this weekend—and treasuring my memories of looking at the kids.