Hello again, dear friends!
Well, I’d say the above picture pretty well sums up our thoughts about summer. I hope and pray yours is going well thus far. Since I was out-and-about for most of June, I thought it might be fun if my first post back highlighted some things I learned during this month.
In the month of June, I learned:
1. While shame certainly works overtime to make you feel small in a bad way by suggesting you are too puny to pull this off, it will work overtime to make you feel big in a bad way by suggesting how dare you enjoy what you don’t deserve! I’ve written more on this subject today at (in)courage. I’d love for you to join me there.
photos by Lauren, Lauren Washer, DukesLee, and Natalie.
2. I enjoy seeing the new pictures that pop up on instagram’s #girlmeetschange page. The photos show me I’m not the only one going through the expected and unexpected seasons of change, and just knowing this makes those transitions easier. By the way, I am discovering more each month how instagram is my favorite social media platform. You can find me on instagram as @kristenstrong.
3. I really really loved the last episode of Gilmore Girls. In spite of all my up-and-down opinions of the show that continued right on through the last season, I feel like the last taste it gave me was a good one. I watched the last episode while eating lunch at the airport in the corner of an empty gate, and I couldn’t help but cry as I did. When Lorelai goes into Rory’s room just to watch her sleep shortly before Rory leaves to start her new job and Richard (finally) praises Lorelai for the home she created in Stars Hollow and Rory thanks Lorelai and Emily tells Rory it’s an honor to be your grandma, Rory Gilmore…well, I just lost it over my Chicken Caesar Salad.
4. Twenty years of marriage is wonderfully good to celebrate. More on that tomorrow.
5. Cheryl Day from Back in the Day Bakery is one kind and approachable woman. When David and I were in Savannah last month (this trip tied into our twentieth anniversary celebration–more on that tomorrow as well. 🙂 ), we stopped in Back in the Day Bakery for lunch and a treat. While there, I recognized Cheryl from her cookbook cover and gushed to her about the glorious masterpieces that are her cupcakes. She was so genuine and humble, which of course made the excursion doubly fun.
6. The actor who portrays Jeff on the show Nashville, Oliver Hudson, is Kate Hudson’s brother. This, of course, makes him Goldie Hawn’s son. I had no idea.
7. Sometimes God’s loving-kindess shows up in ways that don’t look like loving-kindness–at first. They look painful and hard, weighted with struggle. But with time, you find the goodness within floating to the top. The difficult part is believing this in faith before you see evidence of its truth.
I would love to know what mix-bag of things you learned in June. Share in the comments below? Or if it suits you, share yours at Emily’s place, too.
I learned that life is not fair or kind, but God is good. I had to resign my position due to family illness (aging dad). I’m sad, but happy also. I had wanted to leave that job for a while now & it seemed like a good time.
What goes around comes around. Something happened to me at work–& that person will get hers. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord!
How to relax and just let life be. To really enjoy life for what it is.
Blessings 🙂
blue jeans, blueberries & cool morning breezes ~ a journal of God’s goodness and faithfulness
a summer writing project….
Congratulations on 20 years!
I wrote my blog on what I learned in June already, but one thing I learned I did not share or go into detail of is that a few friends who are faithful and true is better than many acquaintances. As a people person, this is always hard for me to embrace. But it is so true. To go along with that, I am learning to be independent of needing few all the time and letting God fill the spaces. So hard for me, but so important and good. In this, I am learning to put my phone away and be in the moment a little more . I’m sure I’ll continue to learn this and it’ll hit my July blog 🙂
Oh I do hope you write about this on your July blog, Rachael. Wonderfully insightful thoughts here, and I would love to hear more about what you think on this subject of a “faithful few” in terms of friendships.