JUNE-A BUSY MONTH

June is that busy month at the end of the school year. Concerts and dance recitals. Planning for the summer. Buying new clothes for the warm season about to be thrust upon us. Anticipating more outdoor fun especially barbecues. Into the second month of the nice weather. Already missing May and all that it brought!

BELONGING-AN EMOTIONAL NECESSITY

Everyone needs to belong to something. We identify ourselves by our families, our church, our community, our country. People know us and we know them. New friends, old friends. Catching up with the news. Our work community. Our professional community. Belonging. It gives us an sense of self. A history with someone else. A place of time. "Remember when?" Even if everyone is not the bff, still belong! So being inclusive! Not excluding others! Letting people belong helps builds relationships. It is really emotionally healthy!

PURPLE FLOWERS IN A CANADIAN GARDEN

Purple flowers add lots of colour to any garden.

Pretty irises!

 Onion flowers!

Button flowers. Do you know purple flowers attract butterflies?

Captured wild flowers usually growing on the side of the road.

Purple-beautiful in any garden!!

LANGSTAFF SECONDARY SCHOOL CELEBRATED ITS 50TH REUNION

Langstaff Secondary School had its 50th reunion on May 30th. Located in Thornhill Ontario, it was my High School. Started there September 1964 and finished June 1969. So yesterday going to the 60s room, it was the old geiser room- who would have thought so long ago that I would be part of the old group. Talking with current students who were enthralled to meet some of the original students, it was an honour to be there. 5 years of my life- good years. I loved school. Met and later married my High School Sweetheart. Able to reconnect with many people even though a group of us meet annually to have lunch. Think we will add a few new ones to that group after the reunion. Talking and updating at a dinner at night for about 15, it was a good day. Reunions are necessary. We all like to belong somewhere to something and someone. Have you gone to a reunion lately? Is it time to reconnect?

EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE A WINNER!

We all need to win sometimes. In conflict there are theories are how to have win-win situations. However if there is a winner there is always a loser- so to speak. Competition means there are many participants but not everyone can be a winner. Olympics and team competitions mean that all the trying in the world does not make everyone a winner. Winning is a state of mind. Sometimes just being part of the competition pushes a person to do their best. A personal best is winning. Finishing the race, the interview, the completion is winning. Sometimes just getting through a tough meeting is winning! Many people feel like winners because they enjoy their jobs, like their families and live where they want. Maybe not having the best of everything but feeling good is winning! Of course winning the lottery is on many peoples' bucket lists. Yeah winning is better than losing but sometimes just good living is good enough? What do you think?

IRIS-THE GARDEN COMES ALIVE

The Iris is one of those lovely flowers that adds such beauty to any garden. Like other blooms comes in many colours.

Of course in mine the colour purple does abound.
There are other shades but my camera always seems drawn to the purple ones. Do you grow irises in your garden? Beautiful aren't they?

NANA SAYS FAMILIES HELP EACH OTHER

Having several generations in a family can be supportive. Grandparents helping children with their children. Grandchild caring for aging grandparents. Children feeling like the middle of a sandwich with the older and younger generations. There is a time to help and a time to be helped. Being there for the family makes a clear sense of purpose. Of course lots of patience as each generation has its own quirks!