THE NOSTALGIA OF SUMMER'S END

There are few things that stir my sense of nostalgia like the fleeting days of summer.  

610.  Back to school thoughts-  No, there won't be any yellow buses to catch or cute back packs to fill with colorful binders and pencil boxes.   Instead, there are SAT's to schedule, parking passes to purchase (my boy is a junior and will be driving to school before too long) and college tuition bills to consider (my girls is a sophomore in college and working part time).   So Special.....those grade school years were, and foundational to their ongoing growth and successes, but summer's end these days, calls for preparations of a different kind. 

611.   The scent of the late afternoon air in August. 

612.   A field of cat tails. 

613.  The song of the cicada.  

Nothing spells summer's end or awakens the childhood senses more than these.  

614.  A morning in the orchard, picking peaches.

615.  An afternoon in the kitchen and home made treats.. 

616.  Making every moment of these last few lazy days of summer count.  

617.  The Nostalgia of Summer's End -  makes for great additions to my 1000 gifts list, and even greater reflections........ on all that was and is, and yet to come.  

Crystal   

Gifts of Thankfulness----Oh So SWEET!

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones--Proverbs 16:24.  

A short, midweek, get-a-way to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, allows for some much needed down time. As friendship is shared,  and pleasant words exchanged...
my list of thankfulness is growing, and with it, plenty of sweetness to go around. 
550.   The lights and sights of the harbor by night. 

551.   Purple dragon boat rides in the harbor by day. 

552.   Hotel vending machines at midnight because the packed box of snacks isn't accessible.   

553.   Conversations highlighting personal growth and rewards, through the rigors of ministry. 

554.   An open-mindedness----- no, it hasn't changed "who" or "what" we are, but rather has shaped "how" we respond to the world around us. 

555.   Moments in life that keep us real...keep us grounded  (usually the less than perfect & humbling).

556.   Savoring "good food" moments in Little Italy (pizza and pastries and gelato galore)      

557.   $6.00 worth of cinnamon Jelly Belly's, oh yeah!

558.   Favor upon a daughter's honesty at a concert ticket booth (not during this trip, but worth noting).  

559.   Kodak moments that define a summer lived to the fullest.                                 

560.  Camaraderie with other pastor friends and their families.

     Pleasant words are a honeycomb--sweet to the soul and healing to the bones---speak them often.   And every now and again, on the way to 1000 gifts of thankfulness --- eat your dessert, FIRST! 

                                                      CRYSTAL