It is so very sad, but it is time we start saying goodbye to summer.  I feel so blessed to have enjoyed all the great gifts this season has delivered.  Although this year has not been at the top of its game, the summer always delivers such treasures.  Great swimming days, amazing flowers, fresh air, sun, birds, butterflies, and the list could go on.!  We will often slide through the seasons without noticing the many blessings provided.  Do not let this season be one that slides by.  With the last, limited days we have, soak in all the blessings.  Enjoy all of the many gifts of summer, so that you can cherish your blessed memories forever!

Goodbye Summer

You gave us sunflowers.

Now you leave their beauty for the birds.

The green grass you provide has cushioned our feet,

And provided us with lightening bugs all season.

 

Your streams are dry,

Waiting for your tears of leaving.

The last of the morning glories

Provide the last hummers one last meal.

 

The deep purple iron weed is one of the last blooms you give us.

Speckled across fields and in ditches.

The vegies are gathering their strength to give their last yield.

Tomatoes and squash push forth their last delicious ones.

 

Your waters are starting to get cold,

As where they have given us a cool splash with your hot sun,

And the air hangs a little heavy,

Like it knows you are saying your farewells.

 

The bright greens of your tree foliage start tinging to yellow.

All standing but standing very still.

Your air says take it all in,

Because I will be gone soon.

 

Bunnies make their last hops for the clover.

The tall grasses begin to show rust tops.

Your treats only last us a short time,

But your carefree days stay in our hearts.,

 

I don’t want to see you go,

But I know you must go to return again.

You wave sunshine kisses that will be missed,

And your sweet sounds of the birds will never be forgotten.

 

Your bidding farewell is bittersweet,

And I will truly miss you.

I say goodbye for now,

So that I can say hello tomorrow.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I pray this week that you, family, and friends can get in your last summer memories over the next few weeks.  Take in those last strong rays of summer and the breeze in the trees.  And as always, thank you for joining me and giving of your time to me this week.  I so appreciate you being here.  I wish blessings beyond the summer gifts bestowed upon you and your family!  Happy last Summer days!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings

 

 

 

 

 

Civilizations and societies will always develop classes.  Even though it is wrong, mankind will always group people.  The big point here is that we are all different, and we all have specific purposes for our lives.  However, not a purpose set by another human being.  We are all made with different genetic codes that makes each one of us very special which in turn makes us perfect for our purpose.  Where the real trouble comes in is when one group of people tries to dominate, oppress, or suppress another group that includes the many unique beings with their own specific purposes.  Where a class or group demands that another individual live and be what they want in order to control that person is where the real trouble comes in.  So was the case of women one hundred years ago.  Very clearly what happened when the Women’s Suffrage Movement came about.  If mutual respect as humans was practiced, it would not matter the class of these individuals.  There would be no caps or ceilings holding people down in any class.  One hundred years ago, women said enough is enough.  They stopped, spoke up, and even yelled that this type of inequality would have to stop!  Women fought and won the right to vote, the right to be equal, and the right to live a free life within any class that uplifted their purpose.  Did that solve all of the problems of women’s oppression?  No, but it was a beginning!  A beginning for one class to say No More!  We will rise for our purpose!

Woman Uprising

I made your jello cottage cheese salad.

Your floors were cleaned and scrubbed by me.

I washed your clothes,

And ironed all that you needed for work.

 

Yet!  I am considered weaker.

You say my voice should not be heard.

Damn it!  It will be heard!

I will be heard!

 

I balance budgets,

And I make check and balances work.

Yet you say leave the hard math to the men.

This is just too tough for you.

 

Hell!  If I will!

I can work problems before you can even start.

I can do it,

And I will do it better!

 

I conceive and carry our child.

Until you are ready to show our child off.

While at the same time,

I make a dress to wear as I host a party for your friends.

 

Yes!  I am physically strong,

But more importantly I am mentally strong!

I am creative, imaginative, and inventive!

Strong enough to overcome your oppression!

 

I run a household, laboring from sun up to sun down.

I am told I cannot manage a restaurant,

But I can serve people for less money.

You do not even believe I can run a team.

 

Oh!  I can run a team!

I will show you!

I can run a company, a team, and even a country!

And I will!

 

Many before me have suffered.

Suffered that I may have freedom.

I will respect this suffering to honor the freedom they gave me.

The freedom that allows me to grow!

 

I can and will do all the things you have stopped me from doing.

Your hand cannot push my head down any longer.

I will be brave,

And rise above your expectations.

 

I will put on my heals,

And my pearls!

With my flag in one hand and my purse in the other,

I will show you who I am!

 

I am a woman!  We are women!

Our voices will be heard!

These voices will be heard from the valleys to the mountain tops!

No longer can you silence our souls!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I really believe in my heart the women that succeeded in winning a woman’s right to vote never had the intention of demonstrating a superiority over another class.  Now in my piece today, I really do push the “I will take over” attitude to demonstrate my passion for this.  I really believe this was all about the equality of respect—respecting one’s purpose and way of life.  I pray this week we can all practice respect of others and providing grace no matter how different they are, where they come from, and where they are going!  All of us are very different and have very different purposes.  The equality of respect is what we all want!  Blessings on your journey this week with this endeavor—as you respect, give grace, or as you rise!

Love,

Rennae

 

Grace

 

 

 

I feel we would all like to say we always know where we are, where we have been, and where we are going.  But I have come to find out in my experiences very seldom do we know.  Our journeys are composed of a tremendous amount of wandering.  We also seem to wander from one season of life to another discovering new and different purposes at different stages.  Even though this wandering is so necessary, we must be lost sometimes to find life.  If your heart and soul are in a wandering state right now, stay the course.  Maintain your hope and your openness for growth.  Your wandering is taking you exactly where you need to be!

The Wandering Soul

My heart and soul are wandering.

Searching for what?

I do not know.

 

My inner self cannot settle.

It yearns for something,

But that something is beyond my reach.

 

As children we yearn for new adventures.

We believe in the magic of life.

It is just beyond our backyard.

 

When we are youth,

We all seek out and search for new experiences.

All which seem to be forbidden.

 

Young adults are reaching for the dream.

The perfect job in the perfect town at the perfect place.

And the love that will satisfy them for life.

 

When the grown-up stage comes around,

Family and children consume our wandering.

We wander for a moment of peace and quiet.

 

Our wandering goes back into the world during our middle age.

We seek a new place to fulfill our purpose.

We search for our place after children.

 

And here I am back again.

My soul and my heart,

Wandering and searching again.

 

I reach for something that I cannot see.

My soul yearns for another time.

Wandering becomes my life.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Happy wandering this week on your own journey!  Please remember to be patient with others that you know who are wandering too.  They may need your shoulder to lean on or your ear to hear their searchings.  If you are wandering without a purpose right now, give yourself time to relax, reflect, and refresh upon finding your next purpose.  I so appreciate the time you spend with me.  I realize your time is very precious and every moment matters in your life.  Thank you so very much!  Happy wandering this week as we enjoy these dog days of summer!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Jounrney

 

 

 

The way of life replicates itself so very often in nature.  Such a miracle of how this world functions, and how our lives mimic this function!  We are pulled from the heavens and planted in families.  If we are lucky, we are with a family or given others that nurture us, feed us, and help us to grow.  We grow, bloom, and produce fruit that begins to replicate the process again.  As the tomato plants produce and then wither giving back to the full cycle, we also do.  Hoping that we leave enough of ourselves in the service of others and love toward others that our souls live on. It is a true miracle!  And to think it is just like growing a tomato!

Life in the Garden

I run my fingers through the soft, warm dirt.

I let the dirt sift through my fingers.

The ground is patted,

Building a small hill with a hole.

 

The seed is so very small.

It is hard to believe it can become something so glorious!

I gently lay the seed into the opening,

And carefully I cover it with the nourishing soil.

 

Even so lightly,

I sprinkle the water across the hill.

The sun already warms the safe spot,

And the seed nestles itself where it is protected.

 

The gentle rains come.

The sun rises to provide more warmth.

I pull away encroaching weeds,

That would harm this delicate life.

 

Then one day.

Out of nowhere!

A small stem appears with tiny leaves.

Gently pushing its head out of the soil!

 

The small baby grows.

I water and the rain waters.

The soil feeds,

And the sun caresses.

 

The stem’s leaves continue to reach for the sky.

It becomes stronger and bigger.

The branches are so large they need support.

I carefully place supports under the leaves and stems.

 

Then tiny buds and blooms peek out.

Bright yellow and white.

I water more,

And the sun shines brighter upon this life!

 

As the days go by,

The blooms seem to dry,

But they are transforming.

Small fruits begin to appear.

 

The small green fruits grow more each day.

Spots of red show on their surface.

The stems and the leaves beg for more water,

As the days have gotten longer.

 

Soon the dull, green fruit,

Turns bright red!

Red and smooth,

With an amazing aroma!

 

I can barely hold the beautiful fruit in my hand.

It is so large,

But still so delicate.

I gently pull it from its supported stem.

 

I pull the fruit toward my nose,

For a smell of the intoxicating aroma!

And I gently touch the fruit’s skin,

Imaging it on a burger or beside some fried corn!

 

Most of all I admire this display of life.

I see a miracle.

How a small, fragile seed can feed,

And give nourishment and joy to another display of life.

 

And I think to myself,

This is just another day in the garden of life,

To be planted, to sprout, to be fed, to give, and grow my soul,

As well as growing a tomato!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I hope this week you can grow and bloom where you have been planted.  I pray that you can place your fruits in the lives of others and leave your mark upon this miracle in an amazing way!  The real true miracle is the simplicity of the whole process.  May you reap the fruits of this amazing process!  Happy gardening this week in the dirt and in real life!

Love,

Rennae

 

Journey