I hear the mourning dove in the Larch tree outside my bedroom window.  Unlike the cheery song of other birds, the dove has a song that is sad and lonely.

• To everything there is a season, 
  
• A time for every purpose under heaven.
  
• A time to be born and a time to die
  
• A time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted
  
• A time to weep and a time to laugh 
  

I arrived early at the orchard stand and pulled into the parking lot the same time as a van with Virginia license plates.  The driver  looked English but spoke in Dutch with the Amish man.  He was taking bushels of peaches back home to Virginia.   I asked if he had family in the area. His wife's relatives live on a nearby farm. He paused briefly then said "my wife passed away with a heart attack three weeks ago at the age of 57". By then, two other customers had arrived and gasp with sympathy as they listen to our conversation. The Amish man, myself, and the two women customers grieved with the widower as he shared his loss.

A few days ago, I found myself at the funeral home extending my sympathy to a widow younger than myself.  How do you say goodbye to your soul mate?  How do you go on living when you feel you are half dead?

Today's newspaper announces the 'unexpected death' of a friend from my school days and I sigh with the mourning dove outside my window as we express our heavy hearts in gentle quiet ways.

Queen Anne's Lace is blooming abundantly this year.  A wild carrot plant grew in my herb garden and soon little plants spread everywhere. The roots grow like carrots making then difficult to pull out.  A large patch of blue Cornflowers are growing along side the Queen Anne's Lace on Front Mountain Road.

Picnics take us out of our kitchens and into the great outdoors where we can take in the season.  We recently enjoyed a simple picnic of watermelon, potato salad, and roasted hot dogs.  Pennsylvania has many beautiful State Parks and some of the best are here in the Laurel Highlands.

"Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune and we strike the right chord to balance our responsibilities and our need for spiritual growth and expression. Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first things we eliminate is the thing we need most - quiet reflective time.  Time to dream, think, contemplate what's working and what's not, so that we can make changes for the better (This quote was found on the Celestial Seasoning Tea Box ~ Before discarding the box, I clipped the quote and put it in my journal)."  Every time I read it I feel my inner spirit breath a quiet 'yes'.  The words HARMONY, MELODY, and BALANCE speak to me. 

• Harmony is a blend of notes that enrich the other.  It is not everyone singing in unison (or the same note) but a blend of notes in a family of chords yielding sweet sounding harmony.   
• Melody is a song or pattern of music sung by the lead voice. The melody must be in tune for others to sing along.  If someone is singing off-key, the whole group begins to struggle in finding their notes.
• Balance is the result of perfect harmony when voices blend and enrich the others around them.

The musical terms........
         harmony of inner cadence,    
                               melody of life in tune,
                                                  and chords of balance, 
                                                            are an interesting analogy for contentment.

It has been a busy week and a reminder is helpful in finding balance in my daily schedule. This afternoon I will pause and enjoy the neighbor children who come for weekly piano instructions.

At a recent trip to Williamsburg, I snapped these photos of the gardens and gates. I love the simplicity and elegance of colonial days and found the handcrafted trellises interesting. A lot of time was spent in the gardens.  Most of the garden gates had a weighted ball and chain on them to keep the gate closed.  I wonder who thought of that clever idea.  Stepping back in time and reviewing history helps to slow us down and bring enrichment to our current lives.

I can't imagine stacking hay bales in this 96 degree heat.  Corn leaves are beginning to roll and point upward from the lack of moisture.  Hopefully, we will get a rain shower by the weekend. Pray for rain.