I love June!

I love warm weather. There is something so rejuvenating about spring and finally seeing color again, whether it be the green of the grass or the vibrant purples, reds and yellows of the various spring flowers.

So far, I’ve been blessed enough to enjoy fragrant bouquets of lilacs, spring roses, and peonies. Mmmmm…

I’ve also enjoyed a record number of barbecues/cook-outs this season… a season which I am very pleased to note, is just starting. Cook-outs combine my favorite pastimes… yummy food and hanging out with friends. Two unbeatable combinations in my book.

After the cold, gray, solitude-filled, seemingly lasting oh, FOREVER winter months, it just feels like spring is a time of positive energy, hope, and new beginnings. I’m digging it!

I received some great news on Friday. My sister Katie and her partner Sheray are moving to North Carolina. This is especially good news since it means that visiting them will be a mere 13-hour trip, instead of a cross country venture to San Diego!

It was also great to hear the excitement in my sister’s voice. She has been trying to move from the costly southern California area for quite awhile now. Aside from the expensive living, she was eager to move closer to her family (the majority of who still live in the Midwest area.)

The job-search process has meant a lot of highs and lows for my sis (who knows all about highs and lows as an air traffic controller…) (Sorry Katie… I couldn’t resist.)

There has been tons of red tape and major disappointments during this process for the two of them. From my perspective, they have been beyond extraordinarily patient, and really deserve this great news.

I’m excited for their move because it means I will have a new place to visit! (And since it’s all about me…)

I think I posted earlier about obtaining a library card in my new hometown. I am enjoying rediscovering my love of reading!

When I was a child/young girl, I would read in bed before I went to sleep. I cruised through an entire set of Nancy Drew mysteries, Trixie Belden adventures, and all kinds of books about horses, magic, and love. I’ve always enjoyed reading and truly believe that reading is the key to opening and maybe understanding (just a little better) the world around us.

It’s been a couple of years now since I enjoyed the simple pleasure of reading before I drifted off to sleep.
With the advent of my new bed and an even newer night-light, I can once again revisit this simple pleasure.

I just finished a really interesting book entitled “Kabul Beauty School.” It’s a story about a woman from Holland, Michigan who opens a beauty school in Kabul, Afghanistan… a very brave, scary thing to do after 9-11 with turbulent sentiments on both sides of the tracks.  Deborah Richardson’s trials and tribulations are funny and sad, and left me feeling incredibly blessed (at being a woman in the United States, who is able to live on her own. In Afghanistan, a woman living alone might be perceived as a prostitute and could be stoned or have acid thrown in her face.)

I was also humbled by the author’s (Deborah Richardson) selfless generosity… Talk about someone making a difference in the lives of others… She wasn’t just giving these women money to make their lives better. She was offering them skills that could benefit them a lifetime.

If they live that long…

In today’s news, I read an article about a suicide bombing in Kabul. I thought of the students/friends/family Deborah introduced me to in her book. I wished them all well. I can’t begin to imagine living under those circumstances.

 Little did I know in selecting my reading materials, but service appears to be the theme…

 The book I am currently reading is entitled “Invisible Acts of Power” by Carolyn Myss. In a nutshell, this book focuses on the benefits (invisible power) of service to others.

So far, this book has been profound.

It’s not like the message is really anything new. We all know that service to others is where it’s at, but this book explores the emotional, spiritual, and physical benefits we can reap. Myss offers ways we can flex our service muscles and offers tangible ways to do so.

The book also shares some of the 1200 letters that Myss received from readers sharing their personal stories of service, and the times when they didn’t perform a service and literally, lived to regret it.

In other media news,

My gorgeous daughter and I caught the “Sex in the City” movie this weekend. For lack of a better description… it was “cute.” If you liked the series (HBO and TBS versions) you will enjoy the movie. It’s not going to offer the solution for world peace or anything… but the clothes are amazing, the guys are beautiful, and Sarah and I were pleasantly entertained for a couple of hours…