Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.
The winter can be such a dreary time. I am celebrating today how blooming continues even when the days are gloomy. An amaryllis bulb, a Christmas gift from a friend, is blooming in my kitchen. I have documented it with images and put them into a quick video. Enjoy blooming!
This week the Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet honoring the Citizen of the Year. Our own boss queen of the Berry Queens, Jerre Borland, was selected. In typical Berry Queen fashion, many of us wore our ball gowns and enhanced hair along with tiaras and glitter to honor Jerre. Her speech touched us all. I wanted to celebrate and share a snippet with you today. I am sure you will be inspired by her words as well.
Several years ago, a little saying popped up that became popular—YOLO: You only live once—a kind of distant blacksheep cousin to Carpe Diem—not just Seize the day: Live like it is your last, but above all and everyone else—live for yourself. Somehow I can’t get behind this sentiment, though we in Berry Queens can Carpe the heck out of the Diem—no problem. Life may be short–but I do not believe it is meant to be spent selfishly doing whatever you want, whenever you want. The richest moments of our lives are spent with others, doing for others—moments of selflessness in which we exhibit the give and take of loving others. You see—Love does. If you love something, someone: your community, your mother, your son, your husband, your friend—you do for them. In this act comes the feeling and the intent of what it means to really love. Love is a verb. It is constant. Love shows up—Love acts—Love does for others before self. That is what it truly means to love.
–Jerre Borland, Her Royal Highness Head Boss Queen of the Berry.
The 2015 Chamber of Commerce Banquet with Cathy M and Farrah T
Reflections on the Teche 