Gathering the Moments | June 2026

Here we are, halfway through July, and I am gathering our JUNE moments . . . some big moments, some small, but all a part of our story. 

We eat lots of salads in the summer. Do you?

Car shopping in the 21st century

Reluctantly receiving a hug. The foot says it all, I think.

Rosemary and yarrow from the garden

A small-ish project: an outdoor outlet for . . .

. . . string lights on the patio! 

Bekah's new car!

More summer food: Cream of Crab Soup 🦀

Also in June, we had a sweet visit with Kati, Andrew, and the children!

We played games, visited coffee shops, ate shrimp,
did puzzles, made homemade ice cream, 
had brunch at an out-of-town coffee shop, went to an antique store,
visited Gammy, blew bubbles,
and celebrated Ellie's 5th and Andrew's 40th birthday! 

At the end of the week, Ryan, Sarah, and family came to visit, 

and the local family joined us to CELEBRATE our graduates, Bekah and Ben!
(You can read more about it in ~ this ~ post.)

Before everyone left on Sunday, we had pizza and a little Father's Day celebration.

We hated to see everyone leave, but it had been a good visit!

(Well . . . there was one who was not so sad to see everyone leave. 🐈)

At the end of the month, I lost a precious friend. 

She had not had an easy life, but now her struggles are over and, because she knew Him, she is forever with the Lord! 

I am grateful that I knew her, that her final months were safe and secure, and that she was well-loved. I am also grateful that I had time to say good-bye.

I will close with these words of promise to all who are His, these words that I read to my friend in her last hours:

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121:18

Gathering the Moments | May 2026

May was a month of beauty, celebration, and accomplishment! 

Bekah's college chorale presented its spring concert. 

It was a delightful evening of beautiful and moving music. 
Bek was a little sad that, as a college senior, this would be her last one.

Friends and family fans!

Why wait for summer? 

We fit in a little sleepover with these local grands, Macie (10) and Judah (7).

Our ladies' Bible study continued its way through the book of Hebrews.

This particular May morning was made a little sweeter by Cindy's luscious homemade caramel bread.

Barbara and I took a day trip through a few local towns: enjoying the scenery, antiquing, sipping coffee, sharing hearts, investing in friendship. 

A cluster of roses, a gift from a dear friend's garden.

The welcome gift of a quiet afternoon.

Mother's Day . . . minus the people. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Here are my pretty flowers from Ryan and his family, and the strawberry pie we had for dessert, but no photos of the beautiful faces around the table.

We spent several May evenings on the new patio, relaxing, enjoying our coffee, and listening to the birds. The Merlin app helps us to identify what we're hearing. On a recent evening, we heard the American Robin, House Finch, Northern Mockingbird, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, and Fish Crow, all from our small urban backyard. 

 🎊🎊 HIGLIGHT OF MAY 🎊🎊
Bekah graduated summa cum laude

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature

and a minor in Music!

May projects included reworking some landscaping 

and building new rails for the back steps (work still in progress).

Bekah was the pianist and an honorary bridesmaid for her friends' wedding, a very happy occasion!

May was indeed a month of beauty, celebration and accomplishment! 

It was also full of hard things.
(And while I generally dislike cryptic posts, I must remain silent for now about the things that have made life hard.)
Yes, life has been hard lately. But there were also moments like this, seemingly small, but actually a gift from God to my aching heart. One morning while Ron was vacuuming (bless him), I heard him singing "This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made' (the old Scott Wesley Brown version) and my heart was lifted up above my troubles. 

I am thankful for the LORD's faithfulness, 

through the joys and through the hard things! 

A Trip That Did My Heart Good!

It had been a   l o n g   time since we had visited our Kati and her sweet family! 

Life has changed and responsibilities have changed and that is what is necessary in this season. It is what we do. But although Kati and Andrew and the children have visited us two or three times each year, we had not been able to visit them on their turf since 2022! We had never seen their new home (they moved in 2023), and the children were too young to have even remembered our last visit. 

So you can imagine how delighted we were to finally be able to head south and see our dear ones! Many details . . . much planning . . . and the kindness of the Lord! 

These two sweethearts greeted us as we pulled into their driveway . . . 

Ellie (4) and Caleb (5)

. . . and we spent the next days having the most wonderful time together! A kid-guided tour of their charming house, hanging out, catching up, going to Andrew's parents' home for a lovely lunch, house projects, an outdoor tour of their property, coffee, delicious meals shared around their table, coffee shops, a trip to the city, eating southern foods, antique shops, a bookstore, and, of course, being enthralled by Caleb and Ellie! 

It did my mama-heart good to see our dear ones in their own place, seeing their rhythms and how they live, experiencing their favorite coffee shops, shopping at some of their favorite stores, seeing them as an established family unit. 

It also did my mama-heart good to see my Kati living the life she had always wanted: happily married and homeschooling her children. I looked around and saw evidence of her homemaking skills, collections of beautiful children's books, and this vignette. 

Nestled among some parenting and homeschooling books was a "Morning Time" candle and a framed Charlotte Mason quote, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." 

Yes, it was a wonderful trip and I returned home with a full heart!