Dear June,
I believe you are my favorite. Each year I wait for you to arrive, knowing that summer is just around the bend. You bring your best… summer sunshine, picnics, fireflies, barbecues, pool parties, watermelon, longer days, and shorter nights. You grace us with sunrises that are only surpassed by your stunning sunsets. You soothe, calm and are the sweetest balm for my soul.
You gracefully hold me in your arms and walk me through your days from beginning to end. You teach me well and leave me with life lessons that will carry me forward through July.
June was a time of rest and play. Rest, not necessarily in the physical sense, but in the stepping away from normal and being good to myself. A trip with a friend led to a renewal of the past with the present. A discovery of how the old is made new again when given the chance to explore how God shows up in life’s intersections, waiting to connect us and make us whole again. Where childhood dreams become future memories and laughter restores the soul. Play is the gift of letting myself just soak in the present with no agenda, taking a bike ride or a walk in my favorite spot, just because. It is getting together with friends for no reason or watching an episode of “Psych” with family. Rest and play renew, restore and revive the overwhelmed and anxious pieces of our being.
[Tweet “Letting go releases hope&expectancy in our hearts,when we invite newness to take up residency.”]
June continues to teach me about letting go. A life lesson unfolds as my sons grow up, leave home, get married and realize the vision seen only in their dreams. It is when their lives blossom into my prayers for them and unfurl into the story God has written. It is about the new beginnings we seek as one chapter ends and a new one unfolds. Letting go is the start of hope and the expectancy it creates in our hearts as we invite the newness to enter in and take up residency.
June brought hope in the promise of each new day. A reflection of life over the past year reveals over and over that God is our hope and He is very faithful. When waiting becomes the norm of our days, God continues to teach in the whitespace of uncertainty. When our future vision of life rolls over us like thick clouds on a summer’s day, God whispers into the space of waiting and dreams ready to unfold. He speaks words of hope over us again and again and reassures us of a future where there is none. God is in our endings and beginnings. When we embrace the closed door, God is on the other side of the open door. He is our hope.
God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. Hosea 2:15
[Tweet “When waiting is our norm, God continues to teach in the whitespace of uncertainty.”]
Exhaling the loveliness of June and waiting for the promise of a hope-filled future!
Linking up with these beautiful ladies!
and Dawn for Grace Moments
Deep thoughts to ponder, Mary. I’m glad June was a mix of rest and play for you. Most of my month was covered in those thick clouds you mentioned, although I didn’t notice it at the time. June was over all too soon. Like a dream you just realized you were having the moment you awoke. Here is to July and all that God has in store! Blessings!
Here’s to July. Praying that as the clouds disappear we see God and our purpose more clearly. July is a chance to begin again and turn to God to lead the way. I am always blessed by your words and presence here.
June is my fave too friend!
Thanks friend! Looks like you had a wonderful vacation yourself.
Ahhh, Mary. I can’t believe it took me ALL DAY to be able to stop by your lovely place. But what a great place to settle into night and sleep. The hope your words give encourage my soul. Remembering that God is in the white spaces of uncertainty offers peace in the waiting. Thank you for that image.
SO thankful for you, my friend!
Thank you for adding to the conversation with your own encouragement and wisdom. Love that you are back in your own little writing home. I missed you!
That “white space of uncertainty” is definitely the place where I am most challenged in my faith. I find myself slipping into the wrong thinking of wanting to hurry through the times of testing when this is the time when I should be slowing down, leaning in and listening hard.
Thanks, Mary. I do love these recap posts.
The whitespace is where God leans in and teaches us more than we can imagine. We think we are waiting and stuck when in reality God is working harder to prepare us for what is next. As I type these words, I am preaching to myself. I do not always believe this in my own life but experience is showing me how God never stops working for us and in us. Thank you for faithfully reading and sharing your own life experience. Sending hugs your way!
June continues to teach me about letting go also! I love when summer provides opportunities to slow down and breathe in life a little more deeply. So enjoyed reading this! Crystal~
Summer slow down, rest, listening to God. June is the beginning of all of those. I would love to hear what you are learning about letting go. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Blessings, Crystal!
When all is said and done, it just might have been the best June ever …
;-}
Thank you for providing a beautiful ending to my letter. I should have let you help me sign off at the end of the letter. Praying your June was a beautiful gift from God.
Mary,
I read your post about the loss of your husband and as I read your post today, I know you write from experience and your words hold hope. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, heart, and faith. Blessings to you 🙂
You are so kind. Thank you for affirming who I am in Christ with your sweet words. I am blessed to be able to share God’s words and my heart on this blog. Blessings!
This is lovely, Mary. I’m glad you found time to rest and play, and enjoy time with family and friends. I love your reflections on letting go when one chapter of our life is ending and looking ahead to the next one with hope and expectancy, trusting God, even in our uncertainty.
I love having you here, Carly! It is always eye-opening to take time to truly reflect on the month to see how God has been working. He never disappoints and never stops working for us, even if is is behind the scenes. May we know the truth of how much God loves us even when we are in a season of waiting and the way is unclear. Blessings!
Mary,
I am so encouraged that God can turn our “valley of trouble” into our “door of hope”. Sometimes things seem less and less certain right before they begin to make sense. Praying with/for you as you wait patiently on the Lord.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Don’t you love those words from Hosea? They spoke so loudly to me and all I am experiencing these days. I cherish your prayers and know that God listens and loves to hear our hearts. I pray you are right about things making less and less sense right before things become clear. I hope summer has been treating you well and your rest time has been restorative.
Beautiful Mary! Joining you from Kelly’s #raralinkup I hope you have a beautiful July too! Love this, “When waiting becomes the norm of our days, God continues to teach in the whitespace of uncertainty.”
Thank you Micah! I don’t know about you, but God teaches me more in the periods of waiting than in the times the plan is clear. Thank you for joining me here. I pray July dawns bright for you and your family too.