a love list for june

It’s the end of June.

Knowing it was coming did nothing to lessen the impact. Knowing what’s yet to come doesn’t ease its coming. Take care of yourself, and please don’t let anyone tell you to bypass your feelings. You should be enraged right now - and heart broken and terrified. There’s nothing about our anger that is unloving or unspiritual. This world is real. This is where we live. Our bodies are real. We inhabit them. You are a whole person and you deserve basic human rights. Stay angry and hone that energy into focus.

“This is a scary time – and it’s too easy to give into despondence. But hear this: that is what they want. When you give up the fight, they win. Every time you don’t vote or ignore what’s happening because you just can’t, the door opens wider for extremists to have their way.” - The Tarot Lady

When Charles Booker posted photos of Lexington’s Pride celebration, he used the caption, “Even in the toughest times, love still shines through.” Those struck me as the exact right words. Love does continue to shine through. We can use it as our guide. Love will prevail. Because it moves through us. We have personal power, and we have the power of community.

“Every single large system or structure or network or political protocol, all of it is made up of small things - of humans either having or not having necessary conversations, and humans being wiling to stand up for what is right and stand up against what is wrong.” - adrienne maree brown

And while I’m over here giving advice, here’s some more. The world has enough hard-hearted people. If you are soft, be soft. If you are gentle, be gentle. If you are open and compassionate, be open and compassionate. The world needs you, desperately. You can be kind-hearted and express your full-range of emotions at the very same time.
Just as you can, in the midst of this fight, take time out. You can unplug. You can shelter from the storm and engage with beauty and joy. You can feed your soul and your spirit. You can rest before you rise.

For what it’s worth, here’s a snapshot of my month:

Rocky turned 11. I made him the dog-favorite pumpkin applesauce cake with Greek yogurt peanut butter frosting.
My niece came home for the summer from her first year of college.
I got to spend some quality time with my nibling.
Tracy has been working on fixing up his dad’s truck and we went on several little drives in the evening.
There was a party on our street and my brother’s band played. I love to hear that band. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay out there for very long due to social anxiety, but I did like my outfit - which included my favorite trio - a hat, huge sunglasses, and red lipstick.
I also liked what I wore to our Father’s Day get together because even though it’s shaped like a potato sack, it has colorful embroidery.
I got a new pillow. This one. And I love it.
I had a dream about Ram Dass and in the dream, he gave me a paperback book but when I woke up, I couldn’t remember the title. I wish I could.
I was taking pictures in honor of the full strawberry moon (as one does) and accidentally took a photo of myself in which I look like the mother of the bride at a moon wedding on another planet.
Some large tree limbs fell in the park and naturally, I saw Mother Mary in the tree.
In addition to the wild rabbit who lives in our yard, and is our friend, I have seen a groundhog twice.
I delivered work for an exhibition that was planned before the pandemic.