Dear Reader:

The first text I got early yesterday morning was from Honey. She said “The views from our mountain deck have been different and beautiful these last few mornings. The birds are singing and entertaining us at the feeders.

I do (like the blog post title said yesterday) feel a sense of hope and gratitude here in our permanent mountain home. I am where I am supposed to be. Love to you. Honey

In precarious times like this…it is so easy to fall back on negative connotations that contain thoughts bordering on punitive actions by our Creator towards us or martyred laments like “Why me, Lord….what did I ever do to deserve this?” 

The problem lies in our inability to foresee anything past the immediate present. We get to only watch a few plays in the game of life… but not the final outcome. Thus… we have no way of knowing if our lives and personalities won’t actually benefit from this universal pandemic of unparalleled challenges.

Once again…it comes down to faith and trust…trusting that where we are today matters in how we will change and grow in directions never considered before. It is a a huge mind-shift.  We have the opportunity to stop growing in the cocoon until we drop lifelessly off the branch or turn into something or someone more beautiful and freer than ever imagined.

Instead of looking at life as mundane, repetitive, and sometimes just plain boring…we can ask ourselves the right questions to produce that important shift in “being.” Questions like “What can I learn right here and now in the moment?” How can I make this time more meaningful and significant in my life?  “Has my time on earth been well spent?”

It is comforting to know that every human being is going through this process…no one has arrived yet or beat us to the prize. If we can learn to live more intentionally we can find purpose in each and every day we live.

So until tomorrow…Let’s get back down to basics like love….When I randomly came across this message…I thought to myself…this pretty much sums up our purpose towards each other right now.

*(Artist/illusrtator Brad Montaque)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Right after I got Honey’s message I came across this hilarious take on parenting/ turn teaching/ turn home schooling dilemma and laughed uncontrollably. It felt so good…hope you can get at least a chuckle from it!

*Sorry… I am still laughing. Maybe it is just a teacher ‘thing.’ 🙂

Mandy and Mollie are finding activities on-line and in other areas to keep the kids motivated…especially visually with art….Mandy teaching  planets  and Rutledge is drawing  animals creatively from “lunchtime doodles with Mo Willems”…Rutledge loves it.

*I did finally find my state flower- the yellow jessamine growing…it has been really late appearing in my yard…I realize now that it has been playing ‘hide and seek’ among the azaleas, wisteria and other flowering trees and plants… just beautiful!