Glory Bee Attitudes

June 22 is the birthday of my favorite sister. Of course, she's my only sister but I like to call her that because she is such a wonderful friend and a genuinely wonderful person. I've put together a photo show of some happy memories through the years. Most of the photos are recent but I was able to scan a few oldies but goodies. So happy birthday, Ginger. I have so many happy memories in my head. Only a few of them are in these pics. But they are all in my heart.

My friends all know how much I love flags, especially Old Glory! So here's a flag day video that I've put together using photos I've taken and the song "There She Stands" by Michael W. Smith. (The picture of the 2 men in uniform by the flag and the final photo were taken by a friend who was stationed in Iraq). When I was in my twenties and early thirties, the Christmas holidays were always full of stress. There was never enough time to relax and enjoy the many gatherings. I almost always failed to get cards out on time. There was the pressure of buying gifts. Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Berkshire Mountains, and later even Baltimore, there was the fact that the weather was cold and sometimes snowy and dark. Although I loved white Christmases, I longed for the long days of summer. On year I got the bright idea to celebrate Flag Day. There was little going on during that magical season where spring is about to turn to summer. When the days stretch longe...

Lloyd and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Maine. The primary purpose was to visit his twin, Leon, who is not able to travel to see us. But as an added bonus, we decided to celebrate our 25th Anniversary by renting a secluded cabin on a lake. The photo show below chronicles our time there. We thank God for a wonderful vacation and for 25 years of what has been truly wedded bliss!

Sometimes when we get busy and we go our separate ways, we lose sight of how long it's been. My friend, Marcy, is someone I used to work with. I have always enjoyed her energy, her love of life, and her creativity. We live about 150 miles apart and it's been too long since we've seen each other. So today we each drove to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania (about 2 hrs for her and an hour and a half for me) and we enjoyed a great time together. From the walk in the meadow to the tasty lunch to the conservatory and the gardens, every moment was fun and it was so good to catch up. We even got to spend an hour or so with Phyllis, who lives nearby. It was a time of fun, friends, and flowers. I've tried to capture some of it in the video below.

The 75 year old Joan Rivers was crowned the new Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday. On The Biggest Loser show, Helen (who was constantly bemoaning her age vs. the younger people she was competing with) won the whole enchilada. She had lost a total of 140 pounds. And Jerry, who is 64 years old, won the $100K prize for losing almost 48 percent of his body weight. Even the Aussie who was on the show from Australia's Biggest Loser was 57 (my age incidentally). Does this give me hope or add pressure? I'm not so sure. But I'm just happy to know that it's not all about the twenty or thirty somethings.

My sister came to visit for the weekend. We never stopped talking to each other. We enjoyed a lovely day in Baltimore on Sunday. See the video below - blue skies, pleasant surroundings, great company. It doesn't get much better.

My husband and I were recently shopping in Home Depot. An official looking gentleman with an orange vest and a clipboad came up and greeted us. I assumed he was a store manager or someone hired to solicit customer feedback. However, he was from a local plumbing and heating company and his first question to us was "How old is your furnace"? Immediatley and with great pride I said "It's brand new!" No sales pitch from that guy, he simply said "okay" and moved on. Driving to work the following day I was replaying the scene. I thought about how the man may have had nothing to do with Home Depot but just the orange vest and the clipboard gave him some credibility. Then I pictured the impostors that insert themselves into my thought life. They might be my own insecurities or judgmental people or the very devil himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). And maybe it's a day that I'm a little off and feeling sorry for myself or not thinking of...