life lately {the june 2020 edition}...

June. Summer. 
Did it feel any different? Yes. And... no.

The world was starting to open back up, and with some trepidation we started making decisions about where we might go, should we actually go, and if we did, was it a good idea? And what about our planned vacation?

My boss announced that our office was going to reopen, and we would each go back two days a week. The thought felt insurmountable in my mind, but before I could think too much about it, my boss changed her mind. There is a reminder for you. Don't let worry steal your joy, because the thing you are most worried about may not even pan out, and you can never get that time back. 

1. We actually ate in a restaurant. Our favorite. 

And we were very impressed by their safety procedures.

2. The zoo opened back up with a one way path...

3. Morning walks, beautiful skies.

4. We explored a little coffee shop on one of our treks to Home Depot...
have you ever seen a more lovely cup of tea?!

5. Hearts on the boardwalk... we missed our walks while it was closed. 

6. The kids can't come to a Do the Right Thing award ceremony,
so my husband figured out a way to bring it to right to their driveway...

7. June means the Poincianas are in bloom...

8. Writing the Word... and loving the learning.

9. Thankful to be {still} working from home, but missing my office Roomie...

And maybe the best thing about June was... deciding that we would take our planned road trip to see Laura. And I think... had we not gone... I wouldn't have felt so okay with 2020.

pop-up ice cream...

Staying home isn't a hard task, but missing your people is a different story, and we knew that by May, some people were missing all people. And so... when Eric came to me with one of his What if we... ideas, we figured out a way to make it work. He is, forever, the idea man, and I suppose one secret to our marriage is that if he dreams it up, I try to figure out how to make it happen.  

We named our "shop" Wilbur's South, in honor of our family run Massachusetts ice cream shop Wilbur's North. I even made t-shirts, because I had plenty of time. We decided on a simple menu, with just a few flavors, added some balloons, just for fun, and mapped out our route. 

We were on a mission, to spread a little joy to some of our favorite people... and it was more than we could have imagined. Everyone was assigned a job, and as our family/friends came out to the driveway, Cam unfolded the table and menu board, I strung up and set out the decorations, and Eric organized his serving area in the trunk. There was wonder, laughter, and many, many smiling faces. 

Our first stop broke all the rules. Sweet MK was too excited, and there was no way she was keeping her distance! She want to help, and she wanted a hug. Her Mom said you are the first real people we've seen! Eric scooped while MK looked on, and then we chatted and laughed together before packing up and making our way to the next driveway. 

In two weekends, we brought our little ice cream shop to over a dozen driveways, and would have done more, but the timing just didn't always work out. We forgot to take pictures at every stop, but there were smiles everywhere {well, almost everywhere... there was one little that wasn't sure about it!}. It was exhausting, but we loved it! 

We have always known that ice cream=happiness, but these driveway visits were more than we even dreamed they could be. In the days after our adventures, we learned that the gift we had given, in doldrums of quarantine, was much more than a sweet treat... it was a connection, it was Light, it was love.

finishing up a few things...

On this last day of Christmas break {even though my kids are grown I think of these two weeks as a well earned break!}, with only a few hours of daylight left, I complete a few stray tasks.... clean the fridge, clear the dining room table, organize one drawer. There is plenty more to do, but it seems I have run out of motivation. After a bit I wandered back to my sewing room and sifted through a few things and tried to make a mess of sense out of the items hanging on the wall. I keep tucking photos and sweet cards here and there, and while they make me happy, they deserve a little more breathing room. Don't we all? 

When I head to my kitchen desk tomorrow for work, I'm going to wish there were a few less items on the to do list. But for right now... there are matters more pressing. Cooking dinner together without a rush, enjoy the twinkle of Christmas lights, watch the movie Camden bought, feel the sun shine on my face...

I long to accomplish a great and noble task 

but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks 

as if they were great and noble.

- Helen Keller

After dinner, and enjoying the movie, I found the energy to toss in the laundry, tidy my side of the room, and clear the bathroom counter. This is the kind of list that will never be complete, but having a few less things to think about will make it easier to start in on the first real-life week of the new year. 

moving forward...

As we step gingerly into the new year, with a fresh new hope and the reality that 2020 is actually in our hindsight, my heart feels heavy for the past year. It was the kickoff to a new decade, and in that alone, we seemed to hold it to a higher standard, doing things we never do... like actually going out to ring in the new year, roaring twenties style, and expecting our perfect vision. 

I know that for some, it was a year of utter despair... but for many others, I think it might be chalked up as a major inconvenience. There is no doubt it was hard, and so very strange, but for me? I know we had it pretty easy, and I counted every blessing. I continue to be incredibly thankful that we have all managed to stay healthy, and that other than a six week furlough for Laura, we all continued to work. I have also been truly thankful that my kids are grown and I didn't have to juggle their education along with my job. 

Early on, I realized we had been given the gift of time, and I started {and finished!} projects that I had been holding in reserve, both in the maybe someday category and the I really don't feel like spending that much time category.  I really focused on seeking the beauty, because I knew it was there. Some days it was easier than others, and a lot of days, I just missed my Mom. 

morning walks, spreading joy, constant companion, kitchen fun

Has a year ever been wished away as quickly, or by as many people, as this one? I do not know... but what I do know is that a turn of the calendar page, or the drop of a ball, doesn't actually change much. And I also know, every time I hear Unspoken's song, Reasons, I will be reminded of 2020.

This year's felt like four seasons of winter

And you’d give anything you think to feel the sun...

But God has a plan, a purpose in this...

Yes, I believe He had a purpose for 2020, and I cling to the promise of beauty from ashes. I don't think we can sit back and watch it unfold though... I think if we want this new year to be brighter than the last, we need to banish the hate, we need to show kindness, and we need to be love in the little corner of our own world... and let it spread like wildfire.