75_June Jubilations 2026

Come, celebrate with me the sweetness of the sixth month...

I received this notification from Substack on June 23. It delivered a moment of delight, made possible by God's faithfulness and by your support, dear friend. Thank you for being part of this adventure of life and learning! If you'd like to know more about me and my publication, enjoy this welcome note.

“Come and Join the Song” - Perimeter Worship

See the Father's perfect plan,
The sending of His Son
To end the plight of sinful man,
The curse of death undone.
See our Lord exalted now,
His name above all names
That every knee would humbly bow,
Declaring Christ as king.

“Known and Loved” - CityAlight

If you have seen my weakest moments
And still you love me even then,
I need no greater confirmation
That, God, your goodness has no end.

I come to Jesus, lay down my weakness,
No need for hiding, here in His light.
This truth I treasure, my peace forever
Is being known and loved by Him.

I also enjoyed escaping to Regency-era England by listening to the audiobook version of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister. I don't have a free link for you because it is such a new book, but I recommend borrowing it from your local library!

As always, I am not affiliated with these companies or events; I simply want to share with you the joy of learning by passing along these opportunities!

I started June by attending several sessions of Workshop Week, presented by Becca from The Happy Ever Crafter. She'll be providing another online learning opportunity starting July 6 for creatives who want to learn modern calligraphy. I think I have a good grasp of the basics, but I still plan to participate because 1) it's free and 2) “practice makes the master.” That is the English translation of what Germans say instead of “practice makes perfect.” Since I have no expectation of ever being perfect on this side of eternity, the German phrase feels more fitting.

I also skimmed sessions from the #LifeSkillsNow event, hosted by Katie Kimball (Raising Healthy Families). This annual online summer camp is a favorite for teaching practical skills to people of all ages. I gladly would have spent more time in attendance, but I was busy building my own life skills by helping my garden survive Europe's record-breaking heat wave and by remembering how to file taxes in a foreign language.

My email inbox is now once again overflowing with links for upcoming learning opportunities:

​The Summer Preservation Summit | July 6-8, 2026

• Day 1: Start Where You’re At (fermenting basics, dehydrating on any budget, and simple water bath techniques)

• Day 2: Practical Preservation (fruit leather, shelf-stable meals, and a kitchen rhythm that fits inside a busy week)

• Day 3: Preservation You Can Trust (the science behind why certain methods are safe, how to tell a tested recipe, and how to troubleshoot problems)

The Art & Business of Modern Calligraphy Summit | July 7-9, 2026

• Art Classes: Beginner Brush Pen, Find your Calligraphy Style, and much more…

• Business Classes: Find your First Customers, Stationery Business 101, and more…

The Card Maker Success Summit: Holiday Edition | July 16-19, 2026

• Color & Mixed Media

• Die Cuts, Layers, & Dimension

• Fun Folds & Interactive

• Digital & Cutting Machine

The Creative Tech Summer Retreat | July 21-23, 2026

• Day 1: Digital Design & Drawing

• Day 2: Cricut, Cutting Machines & Paper Crafts

• Day 3: Sell, Scale & AI Tools

Of course, learning shouldn’t only occur online. I enjoyed reading Elizabeth Bruckner's The Homesteader Mindset: Build A Sustainable Life Wherever You Are while the children splashed in the paddling pool during June’s hottest afternoons. The book is written in a very conversational tone and offers readers a variety of ideas to take steps towards sustainability. To deepen the learning, I delved into the first sections of The Backyard Homestead: Produce All the Food You Need on Just a Quarter Acre, edited by Carleen Madigan.

The other books I received for my birthday keep calling to me from the bookshelf, but picture books have a higher priority these days. Here is a selection of stories that present little ones with the pleasure of planting:

Our church entered June with a different kind of planting party: we invited congregations from across Bavaria to celebrate with us as we start sharing the gospel in a new city. We’ve been gathering for services since May, but the celebration allowed us to thank those who brought us this far and to introduce ourselves to our new community.

Knowing that many friends from our sending church would be in attendance, I wanted to create a meaningful gift that expressed my gratitude for their impact on my life. I started by hand lettering Philippians 1:3 for the front of the thank-you cards:

After writing a personal note to each recipient, I decided to also create a Bible verse coloring page and a set of stickers to add to each envelope. Of course, the coloring page made me think of you, so I created an English version as a token of my gratitude for your readership and support.

The only place we've been lingering during these hot days is in the plastic pool, hidden between the house and hedgerow. Most mornings, I can’t even bring myself to walk the few steps over to my garden beds because the beating rays of the sun are so unbearable.

When the shadows grow long enough to send shade over to that side of the yard, however, I force myself to go water the plants. By the time I finish, it is nearly 9 p.m., but the work is always worthwhile, and the temperatures finally drop just enough for me to enjoy all the garden gifts God grants each day:

This is the view from where I sit in the grass after the work is done. I stick my nose in the phlox and simply soak in all the beauty.

I bought these roses as tiny plants from the discount shelf after my miscarriage last year. I found that each pot actually had two or three stems, so I separated them and now have the loveliest little rosebushes as a border in this garden bed. After buying them, I regretted not getting any scented roses, but this year, they have developed a delightful fragrance! These have become my daily reminder of God’s goodness and generosity, even in times of deepest sorrow.

These snapdragons were heavily damaged when I found them on the discount shelf earlier this year. I trimmed out all the broken pieces and hoped they would recover—and how they have!

As I come to this picture, I’m realizing I mostly buy my plants from the discount shelf. These wax begonias were simply such a bargain at fifty cents per plant. I bought one for each corner of this garden bed, and their snowball blossoms make me smile every time I stop by.

The zinnias I started from seed create a colorful island in the middle of my tomato plants. I read that tomatoes and zinnias are good companion plants, and both really do seem to be thriving together.

I am so happy to have chamomile in my garden this year! I really ought to dry the blossoms because my husband and I drink chamomile tea almost every evening, but I’m starting to think that building a drying rack will be a project for next year. The good thing is that chamomile tends to self-seed, so it should come keep coming back.

Never have I ever had such gorgeous potato plants. I hope they are investing the same amount of energy in forming the food underground.

My oldest randomly added a butternut squash to our shopping cart last winter. We turned it into a meal of oven fries and threw the insides onto our compost pile. I now have three enormous, vining plants threatening to take over two of my garden beds. But isn’t that baby squash so cute?

I can’t wait to eat these peaches once they are ripe.

Also eager to eat the blueberries…

I took so many more pictures to share with you, but I want to publish this post before the bells ring midnight and the month changes to July. You’ll simply have to stop by for a visit to see everything in person and to enjoy the flavors and scents, as well.

Thank you again for spending the sixth month with me in this space!

Thank you for being my guest.
In God’s word you will find rest;
Seek Him, be bountifully blessed. 💚

Unless otherwise indicated, all words and pictures are original creations by ewebeak for the glory of God. Bible passages in English are from the CSB translation; in German, they are from Schlachter 2000. This publication is for educational and entertainment purposes only.