The Keeper of the Garden

This year I renewed my membership to the arboretum.

It's not nearly as close as the zoo, so I don't join every year, 

but this year I felt the itch.

This week it was packed with people who went to see the irises.

They just blow me away.

And then there is this whole peony garden.

I wish I could go back next week.  There are bunches of them yet to pop.

I love how the man-made structures flow beautifully with the gardens.

And sometimes the human "flowers" are my favorites.

Especially all the volunteers!  They were everywhere, filling the beds with annuals.
Again making me want to go back next week.

The place was just erupting with lush green everywhere.

To the Class of 2016

Dear Class of 2016,

Your graduation weekend has arrived.  I'm so excited for you!  You have done the work, you have made your plans, and now is the time to just savor it all.  These are moments you will remember forever.  

I am thankful that I got to share a few of these moments of anticipation with you when we did your senior sessions.  I experienced first hand how smart, talented, hard-working, adventurous and funny you are.  I've celebrated as you've made college decisions (two to my alma mater!), won awards and scholarships.  And of course I know how beautiful and handsome you are.  I'm smiling right back at you this very minute.

Can I just tell you one thing, as you head out into this big, amazing thing called life?  Not ONE of those things I just mentioned makes you a valuable human being.  

Nope.  Not one.

You were born filled with value from the top of your head (whether it had any hair or not) to the tips of you tiny toes.  You are an amazing work of art, loved like crazy by the Artist.  Always have been and always will be.  There will never be a single moment of your life when you are not thoroughly valuable and treasured.

If you remember that, you will be free.  Free to love, free to achieve, free to create beauty, free to make mistakes, free to fail, free to say I'm sorry, free to forgive, free to get back up and start again.

I wish you a life of true freedom.

Congratulations!

Tracy