I spent a few days away from the mountains and away from the blog.  I'm glad to be back.  It's hot in the valley!  It's been a hot and dry summer but it's still been beautiful.

    July has been a beautiful time to hike the higher elevations in the Smokies.  It's still relatively cool up here and the wild flowers have yet to peak above 5000 feet.

    I'm enjoying a birthday in the mountains today.  What a blessing.  When I enjoy the blooms in spring and summer and the vast expansive views in winter I am humbled and filled with gratitude to be able to enjoy my time here in these mountains.

    I hope you enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate your freedom this past weekend.   I believe we live in the best  Country in the World and the best state in this Country.  God has been good to us here in the Great Smoky Mountains.  I for one am grateful.

    July is the right time to reflect on Freedom.  At the heart of my personal Freedom is Serenity.  When I have Serenity with myself, Serenity with others and Serenity with my God, then I enjoy true Freedom.

    June was a beautiful month here in the Smokies.  It was plenty hot in the valley but nice and cool up here in the higher elevations.  All the moisture and clouds in the atmosphere made for many colorful sunsets and sunrises.  I hope for just as nice a July.
    I hope we can all do our best not to get overwhelmed by life's problems this month of July.  We'll do the best we can with what we've got and then have a piece of watermelon.

    The Bees aren't trying to change the world.  They are just doing their job with focus and diligence.  Then, in turn they have a large, far reaching effect on life around them.  I'm going to try and live like the Bee today.  I hope to be able to do what I'm supposed to do with focus and diligence.  Hopefully I will have a positive effect on life around me.

    Evening showers passed through the mountains making the skies dark and cloudy.  For a bit the clouds cleared to allow a glimpse of a colorful and dramatic sunset.  Sometimes in life the dark and cloudy times will reveal the most colorful and beautiful things.  I'm glad I don't always stay inside when it's cloudy and rainy.  If I did I would miss a lot of beautiful things.

    My friend Steve passed this on to me the other day.  I've thought it over and it makes a lot of sense to me.  I'll pass it on to you today.  Thanks Steve!

Law of the Garbage TruckOne day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.  Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!  Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

    The Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel have been beautiful this year but Summer brings on the end to the beautiful blooms.  I sometimes wish that they would be at peak bloom for ever.  But that's unrealistic.  Everything has to go through it's cycle.  Sometimes in a dormant state, sometimes growing and sometimes blooming.
    I'm often like that with people.  I can have an unrealistic expectation for people to continually be at a peak state of being.  I want them to be their most kind and beautiful all the time.  It's a selfish expectation.  We people go through cycles in life just like everything else.  We are sometimes blooming and beautiful, sometimes dormant but most always growing.

    What a Blessing Family is!  I just got back to the Smokies from the Family reunion in Virginia.  I am very grateful to have such a wonderful family.  It seems that there is no better asset in my life than my Family.  I hope that you are able to enjoy spending time with your Family. 

    As much as I enjoyed spending time with the Family in Virginia I am glad to be back home in the Smokies.  Here in the higher elevations the temperatures are cool and the visitors are friendly.  Today is a day to appreciate the blessings of Family and Home.

   There are still many gorgeous blooms in the higher elevations of the Smokies.  The frequent afternoon showers keep color on the foliage and in the sky.  The beautiful scenes seem to make up for the hot and humid weather. 

    I'm on my way to a family reunion tomorrow and I will be away from the website for a few days.  I'm very grateful for family and I'm looking forward to the time I will be able to spend with the ones I love.  See you in a few days!