Rita Buettner

Summer is a time of abundance. This season is overflowing with possibility. There is a richness and a joy to summer that I cherish, even on the hottest days when everyone around me is complaining about heat and humidity.

I don’t know all that our children will grow to be. I can’t guess what they will encounter in life. I don’t know everything they will achieve.

This week we marked four years as finch owners, and I am struck by how much has changed for our family over that time.

That’s how I feel about my parenting life these days, that time is flying and the plot is unfolding, and I’m just along for the ride. Sometimes the pages are turning so quickly that I can barely see what’s happening—it’s that fast.

When we lose something—or think we’ve lost it—we treasure it that much more.

How wonderful it is to realize that what seems impossible might actually be possible—whether through divine intervention or by picking up the pieces every day and taking another step on the journey of life.

We are born with hearts that are designed to love. We are created to be members of families and communities. We are intended to be neighbors—and not just to the people we know and love, but to everyone.