How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? –Dr. Seuss
This is how I feel about the month of June. It’s one of my favorite months, made all the better this year by the fact that we spent the beginning of the month in Kansas City with our daughter Anna and the other Brake relatives, had our daughter Emily home for vacation and work days, and had SD relatives, Aaron, friends, Emily and Shawn together for celebration days. How the time has flewn, as Dr. Seuss said!
June is the most precious month of the summer—here in Minnesota the temperature is summer perfect–warm days and still-cool nights, few bugs and mosquitoes impede outdoor work and fun, and there is plenty of sunshine with abundant rain to keep things growing, blooming, and thriving. Sooo good! June is when my favorite Perennial Blue Flax blooms—so very lovely. Do we take the time to appreciate the incredible beauty of a single flower?
Fuzzy, thick-leaved Mullein unfolds like a rosebud—how do we unfold the many layers of our gifts and talents so we can stand tall with our brilliant display of color?
Prairie grasses bloom in June and wave in the wind, while prairie wildflowers begin their complementary display. How do we stand out in the crowd and love and accept the very things that make us unique?
Talk about fleeting time! The exquisite poppy, so delicate yet strong, blooms for such a short time before the crinkly petals fall off, leaving the bulbous seed head. How do we cultivate strength of body, character, mind, and soul?
The blooming Mock Orange shrub with its sweet fragrance was a magnet for Swallowtail Butterflies, both yellow and black. How do we gather the sweetness of life and share it with others?
A June evening on the lake with good friends is made even better when we see or hear the resident loons. I believe the ‘bumpy’ feathers towards the tail are hiding a young chick, enabling travel and protection for the offspring. Do we protect and nourish our offspring and all the ‘children of the Lord?’
Some ingenious spider built its web on the dock, basically over the water—a construction feat for food and shelter. How do we work to build a safe home and provide food while also maintaining creativity and inventiveness?
Water, lily pads, greens and blues—this Monet-like work of art is a reflection of a birch tree in the lake! I love it! How do our actions reflect our true inner self? What work of art are we creating?
I also love this photograph of a Yellow Pond-lily—the floating leaves, the yellow sphere of flower, the reflection of the blossom, and the spill of water on top of the leaf. How do we keep our heads above water with poise, beauty, and peace?
And finally, June in the Land of 10,000 Lakes—a couple of people and their dog, out on a boat, fishing at sundown. How do we relax in this hurried, harried world? How do we embrace silence and our own thoughts and feelings?
June slipped away far too fast—I wanted to hold it steady, keep it close, prevent it from moving on. I wanted to do the same thing with the time I spent with my kids. Instead, in the moments I was with them, I was intentional about looking into their faces, not only to see their beauty and uniqueness, but to notice the outward reflection of their inner state. Are they happy, at peace, using their gifts and talents? I quietly noticed their strengths of body, character, mind, and soul. I fretted silently that they may have learned some of my qualities of being hard on myself, of not loving myself quite enough. I also confirmed my intention and commitment I had from day one as a parent to protect and nourish them in the best way I could, to show them the sweetness of life, to instill in them a love for God, for Nature, for creating and learning. And here they are—two and a half to three decades later! How I love being in their presence! And here I am—throwing out a line in the peaceful silence of my own thoughts and feelings. “My goodness how the time has flewn.”
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