Such a Beautiful Time!

I love June. It doesn't have the same thrills as February, when the almond blossoms foretell the coming of spring. Nor does it charm like April with its roses. June has its own splendor as crape myrtle erupts in shades from purest white to deepest burgundy. But it isn't beauty that makes June important.

Juneteenth, now a national holiday, has been celebrated in most of the 50 United States for some time, as well it should be. Also known by other names (my favorite is Emancipation Day), June 19 marks the end of legal enslavement in the United States and the righting of a great wrong. That alone makes the day worth celebrating.

My family celebrates for another, more personal reason. As our daughter put it, "Mom and Dad, it took 51 years, but your anniversary is now a national holiday!" Roger and I were married June 19, 1970. This year, our anniversary began a remarkable multi-day festival. 

June 20, the day following our 51st, was Father's Day when we honored all the noble men in our lives. From the dads who raised us to the fine men who helped us bring up another generation of good people, we pay tribute to them all. I especially honor my dad and dad-in-law, my husband, and all the good men who are raising my grandchildren and my first great-grandbaby. 

On June 21, we boarded a plane for OKC and Aylapalooza 9. Every odd-numbered year, we gather the whole clan, or as many as can make it. The only two we missed this time were the grandson who's in military training and a second his age who didn't yet have enough time in at his job to take the days away. We also celebrated our daughter's birthday on June 22, with the rest of the family arriving for more fun after that.

When we're all together, we make a pretty impressive crowd and we have an amazing time. We always plan fun activities (a movie theater just for us, a barn dance, a trip to a waterfall with swimming ponds), but we enjoy just being together.

After all this celebrating, I may need a full week (or even two!) to unwind and catch up, but it's worth the trouble. Besides, we likely won't have a week this eventful for another two years.

Susan Aylworth is the author of more than 20 novels. Her newest release is A Joyful Eve in Christmas Town, a revision of last year's Joy Comes to Bedford Falls. It's the first book in the new Christmas Town series. Watch for St. Nick Comes to Christmas Town, coming July 29. The Trouble with Rainbows, released in June, is the sixth book in the Rainbow Rock Romances, and more books are coming this year in both series. Over the Rainbow, a prequel to the Rainbow Rock Romances, is available free for only a short time longer to everyone who subscribes to her newsletter. You can sign up on her website: susanaylworthauthor.com. Contact her on her Facebook author page or via susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com or join her on Twitter @Susan Aylworth.