We’re getting ready to climb in a little Cessna airplane. Would you like to go flying with Martin and me?

Look straight ahead and say hello to flying over the tips some lower mountains and goodbye to mountain snow. We’re going to see if we can get a little lift and pop our plane higher into the sky. Hang on!

Whoosh!

I love doing that! You often see see birds soaring through these thermals in the spring and summer, too. It’s an easy and exhilarating way to get higher without exerting extra.

Now that we’ve got some altitude, let’s go look around some of the neighboring valleys.

If all the snow has left the mountains, where has it gone?

Hello to swelling, muddy rivers.

Hello to florescent, irrigated crops and lawns. Hello to earth in its natural, unirrigated state around here: brown.

And goodbye to all worry when we are in the sky. Martin and I cannot wait to take you up again.

What else did you see?

I feel a pretty intense call to help people celebrate life. We’re weaving our way through such beautiful journeys together.

There is an incredible strength behind not-for-profit organizations, many of whom operate with the same life-enriching and life-embracing goals. When I opened Gadanke up to wholesale, there was no question about it. Gadanke journals would also be available at wholesale prices for not-for-profits.

I’m feeling very grateful that Gadanke recently joined a large group of Australian high schoolers on a mission trip to the Philippines. Here are some photos their coordinator sent me.

How have not-for-profit organizations enriched your life or challenged you to better the lives of others?

Hello to a beautiful May. Are you really half over? Martin and I were among the pilots who skipped work this morning in order to take a little flight. The sky was beautiful and blue. The company was perfect. Here’s to a new season of more of the same.

Her hand recorded what I’m sure her brain constantly told her was of no importance: her life. From her journal I knew hers was a quiet but hungrily alive life. [...] Those details from her diary lingered in my mind all afternoon.

Alexandra Johnson, journalist, describing the diary of Elizabeth Howe, one of the accused and executed in the Salem witch trials.

 What types of stories would you like to capture in the coming weeks? Here are some ideas I’ve pulled together to keep those stories coming. Enjoy!

1. Have your kids fill out this End of Year Reflection sheet when school gets out. They can fold it up and tuck it in an envelope decorated with something like “do not open until the year 2023″.
2. Add a blog post or article you’ve written to your journal.
3. Snap a photo of your morning transportation. Hole punch and add to your journal. On the back, write about how you get where you’re going. (Maybe even include the price of gas if you drive.)
4. Embellish your journal with the date? Yep. Day of the week stickers are awesome.
5. Rumi is one of the most inspiring poets, and this book of poems is breathtaking. He’ll make you think about and journal about everyday beauties.
6. Make a page that’s literally a brain dump (like this). Paste a picture of yourself on a page, then put pen to paper and don’t stop.

Share with us. When have you recently found yourself in perfect company? What did you do? What did you see?