Dear Reader:

Grandmother Wilson used to tell me that I could be anybody I wanted to be or do anything I wanted to do … but choose wisely. No one can do everything-so start prioritizing because no one can do it all.

This advice came from a woman with a college education in 1903 in rural South Carolina, taught school, became a farmer’s wife and sent all four of her children ( two boys and two girls) to college during the Great Depression! Not advice to be taken lightly.

She knew better, than anyone, that education was the key to success in life and that was her gift to her children-the key to unlock doors to a better life.

As a little girl I loved maps and geography and loved daydreaming about traveling the world one day! * I mostly daydreamed through math. Still, even back then, I understood time well enough to figure out that most people wouldn’t have enough time to accomplish this feat … especially with families and jobs. A choice had to be made.

My imaginative side wished humans could be created in puzzle pieces so we could send parts of us off to travel the world …leaving the central piece to marry and have a family! It was a good daydream!

The reality, of course, was challenging. But even with a family and raising children as a single parent, my dreams came true… I could have some of my dreams but not everything. I had to choose carefully.

But isn’t that what life is all about… learning to balance dreams with responsibilities, laughter with sorrow, good times with challenging ones, having it all with having enough and then realizing enough is everything?

So until tomorrow… Let’s remember to define everything as something very important to us … as in life and love mean everything to me!

Or as in the beauty of my garden flowers mean everything to me!

My much loved garden!