Welcome to Summer Under the Palm Tree™
📖 Summer Scripture
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…”
— Hebrews 12:1–3
Dear Friends,
I started an exciting new chapter recently — becoming a new Grammy — which was the goal all along.
To live.
To grow.
To love deeply.
To experience life fully enough to have something meaningful to bring back under the palm tree.
“With love,
Under the Palm Tree™”
☀️ A Quiet Thought for Summer
Lately, I have been thinking about foundations.
Not perfect lives.
Not easy seasons.
Just foundations.
Most of us will face disappointment at some point. It is part of living, loving, hoping, trying, and caring deeply about people and life.
But what matters most is often our response in the aftermath.
Hard seasons have a way of revealing what we have really been standing on all along.
It reminds me a little of the old story about the three little pigs. Some foundations looked strong at first, but they could not hold up once life became difficult. Others were built more carefully and stood firm when pressure finally came.
Life can feel the same way sometimes.
When unexpected challenges arrive, our spiritual life becomes less about routine and more about what truly holds us together underneath it all.
I think that is why I kept coming back to John 16:33 this spring. Not because life is always easy, but because peace is still possible in the middle of difficult seasons.
And maybe courage is not always loud like we imagine.
Maybe courage sometimes looks like:
resting,
regrouping,
walking,
praying,
starting over quietly,
or simply refusing to lose hope.
Maybe it is just continuing forward one faithful step at a time beneath the palms.
🚶 Resume Walking Challenge
This summer I decided to challenge myself a little more and started walking with a weighted vest.
To be fair, I quickly removed most of the weight… ha ha.
But maybe that is part of the lesson too.
Growth does not always happen in giant leaps. Sometimes it begins with simply deciding to try again, even imperfectly.
Walking has become much more than exercise for me over the last five years. Even during busy seasons when my pace slowed down a little, I never completely stopped because somewhere along the way it became part of my lifeline.
Walking gives me time to think, pray, breathe deeply, and reconnect with myself, with God, and with the simple beauty of being outside in nature.
For me, it is no longer just about fitness.
It is about mental health, physical health, spiritual health, peace, perspective, and remembering that life feels better when we slow down long enough to truly experience it.
I am also learning that hydration and breathing may be two of the most overlooked keys to both peace and fitness.
Sometimes we simply need to slow down enough to breathe deeply, drink more water, clear our thoughts, and take care of ourselves a little better than we have been.
So this is my gentle summer challenge:
Walk when you can.
Slow down when you need to.
Hydrate.
Breathe.
Take care of your spirit along with your body.
And keep moving forward one faithful step at a time.
Amen.
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