Dear Reader:

It is June 1…our official southern ‘first day of summer’ for children…with school out! (Or close)

It is a great benchmark date to create in ourselves a “new heart for life.” I wish I had thought up that phrase but it actually came from our prayer of confession yesterday during church service.

“Create in us a new heart for life and for serving you. Make each moment and each day an opportunity that glorifies you.”

The three individualized art segments in the title photo originate from a bracelet I bought at Kelly Roberts’s studio…our “possibilitarian” gal. I just took a picture of one side of the bracelet.

The three sayings seemed to relate to the message of the blog today… with our first of the month clean slate:

1) What if you let love heal your heart?

2) Become a possibilitarian!

3) You can rest in the truth that you are enough!

I reluctantly finished my first summer novel last evening. It felt like I was losing some friends in the process. Good books do that to us. There was just enough mystery and intrigue to keep the reader wondering how the author would knot the last piece of the tapestry together.

It also contained hilarious southern expressions and “truths” as Loralee (a most endearing character guaranteed to stay with you after the story ends) observed them during the novel.

I promise I am not being a book spoiler by sharing three of my favorite Loralee “truths“… because the novel is jam packed with them…some funny, some poignant, and some “downright” thought-provoking.

It is, however, a good day to share lessons about life as we all start a new seasonal chapter in our own unique story.

Before I list my three thought-provoking messages from the (Loralee) in the novel…I had to laugh at one bit of “fluff” in her “truths” to pass down.

“Never give a lady a tube of lipstick without a mirror.”

Actually I had a compact mirror that mother had put in my little “prom” purse for the Junior-Senior Prom when I was a junior…but I thought I could put on the lipstick without it.

My date had just gotten his drivers license but unfortunately didn’t know how to drive a manual/stick shift vehicle… (a car which belonged to his older brother.)

We jumped, hopped, and rolled back down inclines (with red lights at the top of the hill.) I just prayed we got to the prom before all my teeth fell out.

And speaking of teeth…as we got closer…I opened my prom purse and grabbed my new tube of lipstick. I began putting it on when the car stalled and then hopped again. I had lipstick, not only across my teeth, but also my face. I looked like some kind of female teenage “Joker.” Truly scary…not the look I had been going for… (Both my date and I decided to pass on the prom photos.)

All the water (in the girl’s bathroom beside the gym) in the world and starchy paper towels didn’t help…it only smeared the problem ( remember we just had those old oily lipsticks back then)…so I looked like I had a major sunburn the whole evening…I literally glowed…but not in the way I imagined…so good advice about the lipstick/mirror combo… Loralee.

Before each of these sayings…Loralee starts out…”Like my mama used to say”…

1) “When you lose something or someone from your life…it just means that you’re making room, in your heart, for something new.”

(I am sure by now everyone (reading the blog) has lost something or someone close to their heart…and I do love the idea of making room for  new “possibilities” to enter.)

2) ” Everybody dies…but not everybody lives.”

(How true…and to me that is the saddest eulogy of all…that the person died without ever living…let’s not let that be our eulogy…Today is a new day…We have a brand new summer season starting… So…let’s go play, pray, and sway…to the music!)

3)  “Turn the page…and stop re-reading the one you’re on.”

( We do have to let the past go…like a wounded dog…we can’t keep licking our wounds…not only do they not heal…they often worsen .. when they would have healed if left alone or turned over to Someone Who could help in the healing.)

So until tomorrow…Help us father leave our wounds for You to heal, live each day as if it is our last, and make room in our hearts for love to enter our lives.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Don’t forget to say “Rabbit” to bring you good luck this month…it is the first day of June and summer…Let’s all have a fantastic one!

* Anne, her sister, Lucy, and her husband, Dave, came by to see the garden yesterday afternoon and the sisters were ready for a garden showing… They arrived with their garden attire….hats!

…A little  “Boo” in a jar for garden lovers…a way to share my sanctuary.

Dave, Lucy, Anne, and I had some key lime pie before touring the garden…we needed the “strength” of course!

Before leaving… all three wonderful guests figured out (how to put together) the latest solar Chinese lanterns…. I can hardly wait for the lights to come on tonight. (A couple of the ones I had ordered previously…were “duds”…after a lot of effort and buying new batteries they just never made a connection and lit up at night.) Thank you Anne, Dave, and Lucy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* These lanterns all worked…I put them all on Eva Cate’s tree to soak up the sun and then last night all four trees (for the first time) were shining brightly under the almost full moon! Just beautiful!

So now all the grandchildren’s trees will continue growing, blooming and lighting up my life!

* Please keep Ambika  (our “darling from Dubai”) in your prayers…she is only about two weeks away from her due date…this will be her (and her husband) first child, so of course, they are a little anxious, as well as, excited. I made her promise to let us know and send lots of baby pictures when the happy event goes down. I didn’t ask if she knew the gender…figured this close…we would just let it be a surprise for all of us!