{June 2... Empty.}

Empty. 

Today was graduation day for the Class of 2012. I can not believe my sweet girls have actually graduated. I know I sound sentimental and maybe a little cliche, but I honestly do remember meeting them for the first time almost four years ago. Today came way, way too fast. I was sure I would weep my way through the graduation ceremony, but my eyes remained dry. I thought that today would make me feel empty, as my purpose for moving to Waynesboro walked across that stage... but all day my heart was nothing but full. I got to see 7 of my best friends turn their tassels and toss their caps. I got to celebrate these lovely girls all day long with delicious food and delightful company. I got to catch up with good friends I haven't seen in a while and laugh 'til my sides ached. 

{A little piece of the day: Nichole, Kylie, Alycia, Dani, and me at graduation party #1.}

One of my sweet girls wrote this in a note to me: "Thank you for your leadership, your friendship, your hospitality, your boldness, your words, your example, and your time. These last four years would have been very dark without you in my life." It wasn't always smooth sailing, but those two sentences made the past 5 1/2 years of my life more than worth it. Every hour I spent, every mile I drove, every tear I cried.. worth it. 

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, 

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 

1 Corinthians 15:58

"Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

Today was a glimpse of that harvest. Life being lived to it's fullest. Laughter and love in abundance. Community and celebration at it's best. And it was a gift. 

So the only thing empty on this lovely day was the evening sky. And I can definitely handle that.

Love,

B

{June 1... Morning.}

So I went about .500 for my May challenge. My goal was to post every single day... I succeeded 16 out of 31 days. Not the greatest record of all time, but I'd say my first attempt was not too shabby. I have a fresh, new challenge for June. I am going to use the "photo a day" challenge from Fat Mum Slim as inspiration for my daily posts {feel free to join me and play along}. Who knows what will show up in these posts. They might be image-based. The prompts might lead me on some wild stream of consciousness. We will just go where the wind blows us. Let's start strong with June 1st.

Morning.

It is 7:37PM and nowhere near morning. When I saw this prompt, the first thought I had was, "Darn, I guess I won't have anything to contribute today." But the second was this:

It is a desktop background from Kelli Trontel's blog. You can download it for free here.

I took advantage of her desktop background offer last month, too, when I saw it on my sweet friend, Meredith's, blog. My computer displayed this image for the month of May:

I love that Kelli offers these beautiful images. I stare at my computer screen for hours every day and it is delightful to have something pretty to look at. The quotes have struck a chord with me so far, too. 

"Your big opportunity might be right where you are now."

-Napoleon Hill

That spoke to me in May... and now here we are... it is a new month. June already. Can you believe it? May was a pretty good month and gosh, it was over in the blink of an eye! I have high hopes for June and June's inspirational quote is just that... inspirational. 

"Life itself is a privilege, but to live to the fullest- well, that is a choice."

-Andy Andrews

"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him."

-1 Thessalonians 5:10

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

-John 10:10

Summer officially starts in June and I have a special place in my heart for summer. Flip flops are well within my comfort zone. Watermelon makes my world a little sweeter. The freckles on my shoulders start to show themselves as soon as the sun touches them. Lightening bugs come out to play. It is a glorious time of year. It's not quite morning, but morning is a beginning and so is this new month. 

So hello, June... and good morning. 

B