Doing a Little
For my summer holidays (which officially begin on Tuesday afternoon) I shall write for fun every day. This morning I wrote about "something to hold on to" and specifically what we must hold on to as our legs are not as stable as they were in our youth. My dad is home now (BIG YAY!) and he needs things to hold on to. If we are blessed to live long lives, we'll need the same. Have you ever given your arm to an old woman and listened to her apologize for slowing you down? Isn't that sort of sad? It's an honor to give another person a bit of your youthful (or maybe just your healthy) stability, isn't it? Everything we have is meant to be shared.
Have you read Timothy Keller's The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness? I think you'd like the truths found in this small book's pages. He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less . . .
Off we go into June. June is a fun and flowery month here in the USA. We were married in June, after graduations and releases from the confines of the school year. Bill worked at the swimming pool (I did, too. I was NOT in charge of saving lives. Whew.) We drank iced tea and ate hamburgers. I swam for exercise and considered my new status: married woman. We spent ALL of our time together and now we are blessed to spent a lot of time together again. I really like that. This is my 35th June with Bill. Some Junes were full of camp assignments. Some Junes held Vacation Bible School and swimming lessons. Now that I'm a teacher, June is full of low-key promise. Flowery promise. Thankful.
I find the peaks of our little white and green house very welcoming. I believe we will live in this house until we are very old. No more houses. It feels good to be finished with the house "what if's".
I would like to do a bit of gardening today. I'm late planting seeds and the pansies need to go into the ground. The peonies will pop later this week and we shall have the sweet-wine smell of their blooms inside the house. I'm trying to guard myself from too many "to do's" because the list gets ridiculous. Do you experience that same struggle? I know that I can only do a little. A little I shall do.
What sort of "little bit" will you do today?
15 comments:
Let's hope that the weather shifts, warms up so that we can play in the garden. I, too, am behind. Granny camp for the little boys next week. Love your iris.
Today I too will do a 'little' planting. This is the only weekend hubby and I will be home together so we will also do some of the larger things like some pruning and thinning. This is one of my favorite kinds of days..
Blessings, Debbie
Your flower photos are delightful. The anticipation of waiting for those peony buds to open.....!
a relaxing june to you! and happy early anniversary!
Oh I can't wait until Tuesday is over and summer Pom Pom begins. I have to track down that book, I think it sounds lovely.
Your blooms are wonderful. I dug out one of my writing books too so I could write this summer too.
I am excited and congratulations on 35 years. It went by so fast didn't it?
I hope I never have to move either.
I am happy for June and look forward to all of it's special blessings. Like the smell of chlorine in the sunshine. I love the smell of swimming pools.
Enjoy your day, I am rearranging and playing in my new space.
Happy Anniversary, Karen; what a wonderful gift to have 35 years together. Your Dad at home is another gift, your mother able to care for him...yep, another gift. To know you're in your house until your Home going...gift! What a delightful visit today, a break from laundry and packing up the studio.
I'm enjoying a rainy day off. It's very green outside of my window. I wonder if the only gardening we will do is mowing the lawn! It's either cold or rainy a lot of the time and hard to plant delicate plants outside. Maybe a container or two of tomatoes and lettuce on the deck? A few flowers in containers? That sounds like a good idea. Love the books you mentioned. (Not that I've read them, but they sound fabulous!)
I'm sending off a couple of ATC's this morning, but had to make cards to send them IN. Wouldn't want to send ATC's off in the mail all by themselves! lol!
Have a great day and a great summer of writing and sharing your particular brand of sunshine!
Happy anniversary! I wish you a relaxing restful summer break. I don't do To Do Lists...which is probably why I don't get much done....
Pom, I'm so happy you are NEARLY done with school. Phew! It will be lovely to be home.
The house "what ifs" - I want to bury my head in some deep sand and not think of it! I hope our next home is the last one.
Your goal of writing daily is so good! I'm wondering if I should set myself something similar -- not writing daily. But maybe writing on Monday, painting on Tuesday, dabbling with plants on Wednesday, etc.? That's an idea ...
I am seeing lots of comments recently from American blog friends about how the school year is finishing. Do you start the year earlier that we do, or have a different system of holidays?
Our year runs from the beginning of September to almost the end of July (normally around the 20th). We have a fortnight break at Christmas and Easter and then a week in the middle of each of the three terms (normall the last week of October, a week in February and the last week in May)
Carolyn, we start in August (around the 20th) and go until the first week in June. Some districts have different start and end times, but it all adds up to the same amount of school days. We have one week off in October, two weeks off at Christmas, and one week off in the spring. Teachers love summer in the USA.
I have had a busy day today (much busier than I would have liked). I hope to work in my garden tonight, planting some plants my neighbor gave me and the marigolds I bought at Home Depot. I'm a little bit embarrassed by how much I love marigolds. So common! So easy. But they delight me, so I went out and bought a few more. I'm also going to pick the sugar snap peas that should have been picked yesterday. And I'm going to rest. Resting is high on my list for this summer!
xofrances
I like what you say about your house. I am on my way to Nod so cannot fit in one single other thing, excepting reading a promisingly poignant end scene in Harold Fry. I am however powerfully struck by the little thing. I am a little thing, and am best taking things in little steps!
Congratulations On your 35th anniversary PomPom. You're one of those strong happy couples. That is so sweet. Your post today is thought-provoking for me. Sadly to say my parents left this world when they were still at their prime years. I didn't have a chance to help them walk their last steps. But I'm blessed with a beautiful and loving mother in law, who is also having trouble walking at the moment.
On a happy note, happy gardening on your summer break. I'm hoping to see some beautiful peonies from your garden soon.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Blessings on your anniversary celebrations Karen - your post is so full of contentment and balance. I think it's great that you are content for example with your house - I imagine your house is like an anchor for that vast, growing family of yours. Betty x
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