Welcome back to The Lemonade Stand! This is the second in our series on using whatever ingredients you have – the sour or the salty, the savory or the sweet - to find beauty in life this summer.
Best of all, the content is curated by you, my friends. Just as some lemonade stands offer more than one libation, you’ll find several story-offerings below to quench your thirst for that which is positive and encouraging.
As we noted last week, hard times and health challenges don’t take a holiday, but we need to ferret out the good, too.
Writing from New Jersey, Amber said after last week’s post, “It's easy to go too far in any one direction: [If we] focus on the difficult in an effort to be intellectually honest or emotionally sensitive, we can skew into darkness. Yet if we refuse to acknowledge the darkness, [others might say] our heads are in the sand or we're practicing ‘toxic positivity.’ The ability to hold both the good and the bad is a skill.”
Michele from Maine, who is walking with a close friend through stage four cancer, had this to say: “I could hear the ice clinking in all our glasses as I read through the comments …My husband and I get to watch from the sidelines as our friend informs health care professionals in their quiet offices that a personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus makes all the difference. I'm taking notes, and you've helped me realize that my notes are actually a lemonade recipe.”
SO, friends. . . are you ready for a life-recipe or two?
You’ll meet a woman who shows others how to find the beauty in the aging process, and another who found closure at her father’s grave due to the kindness of strangers. You’ll also meet a couple from Texas who have found a simple way to serve those in law enforcement.
Jill from Illinois introduced me to the work of YouTube vlogger Kay Harms, who enjoys showing mature women how to look their best.
As Kay says, “We’re going to look older as we age because we ARE older. We’re going to get those little lines around our eyes because we’ve smiled and laughed and those are good things! Our posture’s going to change because we’ve carried some things, and we’ve gotten to the other side. Our faces, our hair and our bodies tell our story to those who see us. You have a beautiful story to tell!”
Marilyn (NH), wrote about how two young men helped her and her mother after her father died. A Purple Heart recipient and veteran of both WW II and the Korean War, Marilyn’s dad passed away in 2020.
“Due to [the pandemic], Dad was not able to receive military honors at his funeral service. But last week when I was riding my bike past the cemetery where he’s buried, I saw two young men with instruments, and they agreed to my request to play taps for my dad, giving us the closure we’ve wanted for so long. My mom was blessed beyond words.”
Chaplain Ron (San Antonio, TX) and his wife Marilyn distribute cold bottled water and goody bags to law enforcement officers.
“These men and women are everyday heroes, and we serve them simply to say that we care, and their lives really do matter. So far we’ve handed out over 2500 bottles and bags. We also provide those in uniform with free meals as we have the finances.”
Each of these stories has inspired me to watch for ways I can shine a little light into someone’s else’s day.
You, too? Please keep those ideas coming! You can comment below or email me at maggie@maggierowe.com.
And now for our June giveaway-- a beautiful hardcover gift copy of Shaunti Feldhahn’s Find Rest: A women’s devotional for lasting peace in a busy life.”
To enter, please leave a comment with the word REST. A winner’s name will be chosen on Sunday.
NEXT WEEK: I can't wait to introduce you to a 75-year-old friend of ours who is becoming a father and grandfather for the first time. See you back here at the Stand!
Maggie Wallem Rowe is a national speaker and dramatist who writes from Peace Ridge, her home in the mountains of western North Carolina. The author of This Life We Share and Life is Sweet, Y'all, Maggie did run a lemonade stand on the Illinois farm where she grew up, but there was no one to sell to except the chickens, who could only come up with scratch.
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