Finneran: The Joys of June

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Friday, June 21, 2019

Tom Finneran, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

The best month is upon us.

The longest day. The start of summer.

Roses. Strawberries.

The start of school vacation.

Of all the months, June seems to be God’s response to our dour New England skepticism……

You know the deal, particularly if you are Irish/Catholic…………

You expect misery and agony before you can ever contemplate joy. Heavenly rewards are to be earned. They are never to be assumed.

Regarding June and its beneficence, think of winter. It is a stark comparison.

Winter is cold. It’s gloomy. It’s wet. It’s dark. It stinks. December is barely salvaged by the light and joy of Christmas Day, but otherwise December is a terrible month. As is icy January. As is February, the month which spawns cabin fever and desperate prayers for glimmers of light.

Beyond the cold and the dark, think of the journey of the Red Sox. Think of the journey of the Patriots.

Talk about two star-crossed franchises, doomed to lose even with the likes of Nance, Parilli, Antwine, and Eisenhower. Or Williams, Runnels, Lonborg, and Yaz.

Our current riches in sports are the “June” of achievement. Previous generations of Boston sports fans suffered through December-January-February versions of darkness and disappointment. We’ve gone from dark to light, emerging from huddled shelter to carefree light and celebration.

NFL Champs. NHL Champs. NBA Champs. MLB Champs…….all recent residents of Boston, all enjoying the sports equivalent of “June”, a glorious bursting forth.

Our cup runneth over.

I’m an early riser and the gloom of winter mornings is very real. Then comes June, not in a rush, but gradually, regally, steadily filling those early mornings with cheering light and spectacular skies.

Those early mornings always remind me of Francis Scott Key’s wonderful phrase “by the dawn’s early light”. June is full of such dawns, full of such light.

And that light lingers now, well into our evenings, allowing Little Leaguers to play after 8:00 PM and allowing parents and grandparents the luxury of shorts, tee shirts, and leisurely sideline chats. That’s June.

June’s extended sunshine provokes our gardens into bursts of color. Hydrangeas and lilies and dogwoods come alive. Lavender blooms, sending forth its perfume and beckoning the honey bees. One of the great joys of June is quietly listening to the steady hum of hundreds of bees feasting on lavender. Such industry in the midst of such color and fragrance……………..

Another June favorite? Hummingbirds! Those gorgeous little aviators with their acrobatic aerial maneuvers are something to see. The hover over foxglove blooms. They zoom in and out and around trumpet vines and butterfly bushes. They are a June delight and there are many such delights.

As I write it’s 4:00 AM and the sun is teasing the horizon. It’s time to go and savor the many joys of June.

Tom Finneran is the former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, served as the head the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, and was a longstanding radio voice in Boston radio