Recently my sis gave me this vase for my birthday. (We agree not to give each other gifts, but sometimes the temptation overwhelms us.)

Don’t you love the whole idea of blossoming? Blossoms, though fragile and short-lived, make such a difference in our world. This year, especially, when I’ve been pretty much confined to the house, flowers in bloom (seen through the windows) have really spread cheer.

BUT during the past few days, I’ve been able to walk about a little bit . . . water the pots on our deck, relocate a couple of misplaced plants, smell blossoms, even take a short walk on our back path with Lance right beside me. Ahh…lovely!

Seems to me that blossoming is what most of us truly long to do. We want to use our gifts to brighten this sad old world. I’m grateful for writing as a vehicle to do just that. To that end, I’ve been working on short stories lately, tales from history (both long ago and recent) that warm the heart.

These will appear in A Hill Country Christmas, releasing in September. How fun to work with Hill Country author Lynn Dean and several others to create a lovely book for readers to enjoy this winter!

It’s already nearly July, and soon autumn colors will brighten our blossoms. That’s okay, too–fall = my favorite season.

May this season of life bring you joy as you use your gifts.