Dear Reader:

Today Eva Cate is participating in the Fifth Grade Wax Museum as… Susan B Anthony… suffragette. Mandy and I met yesterday so I could get the hat to her to complete her costume…such is love… especially between generational grandmothers, mothers, and daughters.

It is also Eva Cate’s birthday-today she turns twelve… the eldest of all the grandchildren… the one who started it all -a new generation!

Like the balloon says… sometimes she has started calling herself just ” Eva” ( middle school is calling) and leaving off the Cate-originally John and Mandy thought they would call her ” Evie” but as soon as she made her appearance we knew she would be Miss Eva Cate! A force of nature.

It is so hard for me to take in that my first grandchild is 12. At the time Mandy was pregnant with Eva Cate I was just praying that I would get to see her …much less witness twelve years of life. A lesson learned… no matter what man predicts only God knows when we will be called up-keep our trust in Him.

One of my favorite authors, Quinn Caldwell has this to say about names…

Do you like your name? Do you live up to it? What about the names you give yourself? Why that email address? What about that Twitter or Instagram handle?

Has somebody ever tried to force a name on you that you didn’t want? That sweet, embarrassing nickname your parents called you? The mean thing the kids at the bus stop chanted?

Did you, once upon a time decide to rename yourself? Did you change to Daddy or Mommy or Aunt or Uncle? Did you become somebody’s ” Schmoopie” or somebody’s ” Boo?”

Have you taken somebody else’s name? Did you join a new family and decide to take on the head of the family’s name? Did you change your name to ” Christian?”

And did you know you have a name older than those? Sweeter than the ones crooned to you at bedtime, deeper than the ones that cut you to the quick? That matters more and tells the truth of you better than any of them? It’s the name God gave to you in the womb, and every morning since: ” BELOVED.” ( Let’s Try to act like it, OK? )

So until tomorrow… Holy God, you gave me the only name that matters… I can’t top that, but let me try just one more name that I think is pretty good, too: just call me ” yours.” Amen. (- Quinn Caldwell )

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

We had a terrific thunderstorm yesterday afternoon-torrential rains… it only lasted about ten minutes… still thankful for what we got!

Right before the thunderstorm-I took pictures of a new set of sunflowers enjoying the hot temps recently…personally I am happy to be getting some cooler temps coming in for a couple of days…