The heat is on!

Throughout the country, people are suffering through record-breaking, exceptional heat. Some days, when I walk from my air-conditioned car toward a store entrance, I feel as if I will melt into a puddle before I reach the door.  The sun is unrelenting and it is multiplied by asphalt.
I pause mid-stride. I just have to slow down. I can't move fast in this heat.
Perhaps slowing down is what we all need. Life speeds along, and we rush on to yet another task-filled day. People end up more stressed and less peaceful with the hectic pattern of modern life.
The heat forces me to take it down a notch. And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Graduations and weddings

I am scrambling around for cards, gifts and outfits to wear appropriate to the various occasions. Some events even involve pot luck creations and efforts to out-do the delectable fare arriving from a wide range of relatives and guests. 
'Tis the season to celebrate--and yes, it's about 6 months until Christmas.
When did we start buying gifts and cards for preschool graduations, kindergarten "advancements" and moves from grade school to middle school? A year doesn't go by without somebody graduating from something.  And weddings? I've seen wedding planning efforts last longer than the marriages. 
Still, I am glad to celebrate, especially when people publicly declare their love.
It is marvelous to mark these wonderful transitions of life, even if some of them are not as long-lived or as significant to us as we wish they could be.
Brides and grooms and graduates of June, may you always feel the joy-filled hope that these special occasions engender.  May the gifts you receive at your parties be friendships worth keeping and memories to treasure.