Dear Reader:

When Warren G. Harding ran for President, in 1920, he ran on the slogan “Return to Normalcy”….to the pre-World War I days and get the economy back on track from the loss of the war economic boom.

Unfortunately his administration was plagued by scandals, professional and personal…that involved embezzlement in the Justice System, the Veterans Bureau, and of course the famous Teapot Dome scandal…all this plus on-going rumors of an illicit affair and child out of wedlock kept this administration from accomplishing few of its campaign promises. Harding is continuously ranked, historically in the Presidential polls, near the bottom… the least effective Presidents.

Part of the problem was the idea that Harding thought he could lead America backwards to the “good old days.” As enticing as that idea was back then (and still is today)…life just doesn’t work like that…no matter the circumstances in which we live…we must move forward and create a new “normalcy.”

Haven’t we all heard reporters and anchor men and women suggesting that what the “new normal” will look like after the pandemic finally departs…is up in the air. Right now we can only speculate what it might or might not become.

Many of the famous graduation speakers recently…politicians, celebrities, newscasters, etc. addressed this issue with the graduating high school and college students of the class of 2020.

The speeches certainly weren’t gloom and doom..the challenge with this group of students could be amazingly adventuresome...as they have the opportunity to start with a clean slate to define what the new frontier- “new normalcy” will be…and correct the problems of the “old normalcy” that have become visibly apparent…even more so as a result of the pandemic, political and equality issues that are demanding changes…a chance at a better world than the one handed them.

I have been as guilty as anyone in using excuses like “Well, when things calm down with the pandemic and the protests so I feel safe again in the community and not afraid of catching the virus…then I can speculate on what “new normal” might emerge.”

We’ve got to learn to work with what we have…we can’t wait on life to be perfect because, hey, we sure aren’t…we just have to take the steps, even baby ones, to ensure that we don’t end up right back where we started.

A new world is waiting for those brave enough to lead the pioneer expedition to and through it. Our new leaders have graduated and “Oh, the places You’ll go.”  Your generation is now given the torch of hope and the world’s hope is that you do a lot better with this beautiful world, we call home, than we did.

So until tomorrow …don’t forget:

“Faith is the very first thing you should pack in a hope chest.”
― Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Ann Graves has been given a clean bill of health from her earlier breast cancer…the best of the best of news! Her neighbor brought this sign over to give her for this wonderful and happy ending. *Since she already has a mask…Ann just needs a super cape!

What’s New in the Garden?

White Mexican petunias…yellow-striped mini petunias, petite vinca with its soft lavender stars and a  turned-over planter where the fern decided to start again in the soil (next to it) and make the edge of the woods its home.