A new chapter begins…

A new chapter of my life has begun.

After years of work, schedules, responsibilities, and hurried days, retirement has opened the door to a quieter season—a season with a little more room to breathe, to notice, to listen.

And so, I’ve opened a new blog—a small, quiet corner of the internet where I can gather my thoughts, linger over the ordinary moments, and write about the things God gently places on my heart.

A place for faith and grace.
For growing and remembering.
For gardens, changing seasons, quiet mornings, and the sacred beauty hidden in everyday life.

Perhaps, in some ways, this blog is simply an invitation to slow down with me—to listen for God in the stillness and to notice His fingerprints in places we might otherwise pass by.

If you’d like to walk beside me through this new season, I would love to have you there. Come follow me✨

My Hiding Place

 Stepping Into a New Season 🌿✨

As my husband and I prepare for retirement this coming November 1, I find my heart filled with gratitude for the years of service and the people God has placed in our path. Our jobs have been more than just a job—they have been a ministry, a community, and a blessing that shaped our lives in countless ways.

Now, a new chapter awaits. Retirement for me is not the end of meaningful work, but the beginning of a different kind of fruitfulness. I look forward to spending more time at home—embellishing our living space, making it warm and inviting, and bringing beauty into the little corners of daily life.

I am also eager to return to my garden, to put my hands in the soil again and watch life unfold season by season. For me, gardening has always been a reflection of God’s care and creativity—an act of peace, patience, and quiet joy.

Though my professional work is ending, I believe this next season will be just as full of purpose. As Psalm 1:3 says, “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season.” May that be true of this new stage in life.

Thank you for being part of my journey, for your friendship, and for your support over the years. I look forward to staying connected—and maybe even sharing a few stories (and photos!) of what blossoms in this next season. 🌸

With gratitude,

August

Hard to believe that blond August is about to leave us for another year. I am not ready for fall, or cold night and dark mornings, but I am thankful for a cozy home and for life. I like how Henry Ward Beecher puts it:  "The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings"

In the garden, angels dwell and roses are blooming again in magnificent blooms of every color.  I am thankful for this re-creation of Nature, for not giving up and continuing to put forth its best colors.

Inside the house I keep a large array of houseplants that I care for and love. They are everywhere; each room keep some of them and each plant give its best to each rooms.... and my heart... my heart these days is like a white dove.  I keep quiet, waiting, hoping.  Gratitude means to recognize the good in life, be thankful for whatever you have, some people may not even have one of those thongs you consider precious to you.  Each day give thanks for the gift of life.  You are blessed.

August

I can hardly believe we are already walking through the pathways of August.  August is drinking in the sun and, the white Oriental Lilies are again spreading across the little garden where memories of yesterdays had lay down to sleep.

I know now that August is like the heron, who can only croak and wishes he could sing.  This is how it has been, and this is how it is this year:  Hot hot hot. 

I barely spend time in the garden any more.  Not like I used to.  This is because, in a way, I work long hours and when I get home in the evenings, I don’t want to do anything…  I do go out  to the garden each evening and do my usual rounds and salute my roses and little garden friends… then is in, until the following morning.

I find myself loving my indoors plants and enjoying caring for them more than I like spending time outside, as the years go by I find myself a different person.  Everything changes with the passing of time—your body changes, your mind changes, your thoughts and your likes and dislikes, and when you realize it, you are a totally different person all together. 

Hot as it’s been in this high desert, however, I am already regretting the departing of summer; already thinking of the vanishing of yellow black-eyed Susan’s and watermelon in the afternoons.