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Today was filled with school recognitions and ceremonies of moving on up. Norah is wrapping up 8th Grade and ready to be a Federal Way Eagle in the fall. She received some very special recognitions today – Rise Award, Academic Award, and Athlete of the year award. She works hard and plays hard and above all is a great friend to her classmates. A few teachers pulled us aside to share just how special of a good human being she is. Easy tears and fluttering heart as we reflect on this gift of grace in our life. Merritt and Holland both had their awards today and were blessed by special 6th grade recognitions. Tomorrow we will celebrate Jewel as she will rise from 5th grade into middle school. Her teacher shared special words of the bright light she is in class and among her peers. Koko is moving up to 11th grade with a great strong finish to her school year. The faculty and staff that invest deeply in our kids are so loved and appreciated. We thank God for them and their good, faithful, and hard work. Today, we celebrate our public schools, staff, teachers, students, and families. Well done all – well done!

The final bell, a joyful sound,
As summer’s promise can be found.
Books are closed, and backpacks packed,
A year of learning, now unwrapped. 

We’ll miss the friends, the lessons learned,
But summer’s sun, our spirits yearned.
New adventures wait, a wider stage,
Turning a new and open page.

Memories of Father’s Day from my childhood consist of large family gatherings at Newton Hills State Park. Everyone would bring a dish – watermelon – deviled eggs – brownies – pasta salad – baked beans – buckets of KFC – hot dogs and the fixings – and all would feast and then we would hike the trails and climb the tower and play frisbee – baseball – and football. May dad seemed to enjoy those special days. Each of us treasured the day with him because he was a busy man and those hours were fleeting.

Now I am blessed to create those days and times with our children. Time is flying and they are growing up real fast. Only time will tell what they remember and what they will emulate from these days. I pray goodness and everlasting love to follow them all of their days. I find no greater joy in this life than being their father.

Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

A cool discovery – Today on our outing we saw that at the University of Puget Sound was the very first Relay for Life. Amazing people doing amazing good that has inspired generations to provide for cancer cures.

Working on final travel details today. Lots of deets to pull it all together. A fun time was had by all as we did our travel orientation together. In another life I may have been a travel agent. Backpacks and travel journals – carry on roller bags – visas – cash – passports – check check check. Cities identified – countries located – continents covered. Turkey – Ethiopia – Egypt – here we come. Beyond grateful for this coming adventure together.

The rose gardens at Point Defiance and in our very own yard bring splendor each year. The vibrant colors, every petal, a magical display of the beauty of creation. Just like the roses themselves in their uniqueness, each one of us choosing a different favorite one. Our gifts and talents vary, but all are needed in order to be whole. My garden passion comes from childhood. My Grandma Ada had the roses and irises and marigolds galore. Our yard had the vegetable array.

A special visit from out of town friends who are here for a family graduation was a joyous highlight to the day.

A Garden of Hearts

Like petals soft, on a summer’s breeze, 
Friendship blooms, amongst the trees. 
Each smiling face, a vibrant hue, 
A bond so strong, forever true. 

Just as a flower needs sun and rain, 
Our friendships grow, through joy and pain. 
A shared laughter, a helping hand, 
A garden of hearts, in this promised land. 

May our roots intertwine, deep and wide, 
As we nurture love, side by side. 
For in this garden, where we reside, 
Our friendship’s flower will forever abide.

This old house needs some love with a refresh on the trim boards. Time for brushes and ladders and a good semi-gloss paint. In high school and college I was blessed to work on painting crew. The best part was the sense of accomplishment when the crew would wrap up and look back and see the difference that we had made. Just a few days with a good crew and each house looked brand new. My superintendent of our school hired me and it made a big difference in my life. Not only did I learn a bunch of practical life skills, I got to work with some great folks and make the money I needed. Today brought back good memories and motivated me to keep this old house beautiful.

The running joke when folks would drive by a house or barn where we were painting, “Missed a spot!” Ha ha.

Life teaches us that we will need to paint, paint, and repaint.

The Brushstrokes of Change

A canvas old, a house of years, 
With faded hues and whispered fears, 
Awaiting touch, a vibrant plea, 
To be reborn, for all to see.

The brushstrokes start, a careful dance, 
A symphony of color’s trance, 
From white to blue, a sunny day, 
Painting dreams along the way. 

The walls awake, a fresh new gleam, 
Reflecting joys, a living dream, 
A transformation, bold and bright, 
Bringing hope into the light. 

No longer drab, but filled with grace, 
A smile upon this painted space, 
The house reborn, a happy scene, 
A masterpiece, serene and clean. 

7 years ago we began the plotting and planning phase of our gardens here in Federal Way. We had trees and grass but no flowers or blooming bushes. Step by step and project by project we tended to the earth on this small plot that God has granted us. Sometimes it seemed ever so slowly in growth, yet today the blooms burst to remind us that in time, and not always on our time, flourishing comes. Life and ministry has taught us to not take these tender blooms for granted.

If words are seeds, 

let flowers grow 

from your mouth,

not weeds. 

If heart are gardens, 

plant those flowers

in the chest of the ones

who exist around you. 

— R.H. Swaney 

We forget what it is like
to laugh, to play,

we forget what it is like to
simply exist in moments of joy.

The one thing that separates adults from kids — 
is not age, not time, not wisdom,

not responsibilities, bills, work or the things
we label as ‘adult’ that are just ‘bad’ habits dressed up as something we’ve

earned a right to do — drink, gamble, use people, use each other,
be snide, be snarky, suppress feelings —

no, what makes an adult an adult it is the inability to play
without fear to play without restraint,

to play without feeling foolish — 
we forget, we forget, we forget — and we mourn a bit, sure —

because of the bills, because of the work, because we confuse things like bars and drinking or parties or thrills for play,

when these things are not play — 
play is an endeavor of the spirit,

playfulness is an attitude of pure glee,
playing is curiosity in action, discovery, pretending —

play is approaching each moment as new,
full of beautiful possibility, of imagination

play is grace and laughter
even when falling and crawling — play is

using our bodies, hearts, minds and spirits
to explore the world around us with kindness and awe.

We forget this, we forget this — –
we have to remember,

we have to make time
all of us,

children, adults, men, women — 
we have to remember to play.

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer.

Today is a travel day. Traffic, Car rental return, airport tsa, back of airplane seats, and eventually a late night arrival home.

But not before I enjoyed a long morning walk, blessed conversation with Rick and Harriet, a walk through the Carter Center Presidential Library, and an American relic – The very first Waffle House is in Decatur, GA. Now a museum that tells the story of their franchise. Enjoy the photos from these delightful discoveries.

In Atlanta now with dear mentors and friends. I have known Pastor Rick and Harriett since 1998. Susan and I had just been married, my mother had died just days before, and we showed up on their doorstep to begin the pastoral internship year. One year turned into two and those years were some of the most formative of my/our life. I give thanks to God with deep gratitude for them.

His book tells the story for being a healthy and thriving church today:

Walking the streets of Decatur this morning and landed in their city square where I took this photo of John Lewis. The statue was entitled: Empathy. How fitting for a man who served so faithfully with his life. Our world can always use extra doses of empathy.

This Sunday we worshipped with the good people of Oakhurst Presbyterian. A wonderful spirit led congregation in Decatur, GA. The Pentecost spirit was alive and well on this day. Notice the Rooted and Rising Tree that serves as their logo. God keeps speaking.

Pastor Katie preached a powerful message and shared this Pentecost prayer from Walter Brueggemann: (this theologian and giant of the faith passed away on June 5th – his prophetic imagination has blessed me greatly).

We name you wind, power, force, and then, imaginatively, “Third Person.” We name you and you blow…
blow hard, blow cold, blow hot, blow strong, blow gentle, blow new…
Blowing the world out of nothing to abundance,
blowing the church out of despair to new life,
blowing little David from shepherd boy to messiah,
blowing to make things new that never were.
So blow this day, wind, blow here and there, power, blow even us, force, Rush us beyond ourselves, Rush us beyond our hopes, Rush us beyond our fears, until we enact your newness in the world. Come holy Spirit, come. Amen. 
(From Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann, for Pentecost.)

Walter went on to write:

There are two things parents can give their children—roots and wings.

I wonder if that isn’t true about the Church’s vocation as well: the Spirit works in ways that give us, as both individuals and as congregations, roots and wings. We teach our children the stories of the faith and we ground them in a tradition that goes back not only to the communities we read about today in Jerusalem and in Rome, but back further still to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—back to the very beginnings of God calling a pilgrim people. The Church is a place with very deep roots. But the Holy Spirit—sometimes imagined as a dove—reminds us that discipleship is about learning to fly. Following Jesus is about learning to trust God enough to soar like an eagle, knowing and trusting the wind to blow us where she will, to blow us where we need to go.

Just breathe.

An evening barbecue with Rick and Harriet’s children and their families was a special delight! From high school until now, a whole lot of life and stories have been written.

When set ablaze and sent out to seize the day, everything around you pops with inspiration and meaning. Through art and words of wisdom, growth is encouraged.

Blessed today by James Clear and this great book. I found the chapter on identity deeply profound. He writes: “When chosen effectively, an identity can be flexible rather than brittle. Like water flowing around an obstacle, your identity works with the changing circumstances rather than against them. The following quote from the Tao Te Ching encapsulates this idea perfectly: People are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail. – Lao Tzu

Good Habits deliver numerous benefits and support life long growth and learning. The downside is that they can also lock us into previous patterns of thinking and acting – even when the world is shifting around us. Everything is impermanent. Life is constantly changing, so you need to periodically check in to see if your old habits and beliefs are still serving you and others well. A lack of self-awareness is poison. Reflection and review is the antidote.”

6 questions for reflection:

1. What went well this year?
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
3. What did I learn?
4. What are the core values that drive my life and work?
5. How am I living and working with integrity right now?
6. How can I set a higher standard in the future?

Good and necessary questions to nurture good habits and life long growth.