HELLO GORGEOUS

Photo by Faith Blackwell “ May you experience every moment of this season, celebrating the big and appreciating the small.”

Summer is finally here! With the flowers in full bloom and the air smelling like all that summertime goodness, I am ready to embrace this new season (and that warm sunshine) with open arms. summer Hello Gorgeous! su Summer is my absolute favorite time of year! Wearing cute sundresses and flipflops makes me feel free-spirited and reminds me of my youth. It’s a feeling of reminiscence – and summer loves comes to mind! Oh, we’re not going to ‘kiss and tell,’ but in the spirit of summer lovin’, a few of our Hope readers share memories of their first kiss (p. 4). And what better season to spend time with family and friends! We’ve put together some of the best summer styles along with a collection of delicious recipes for you to try at your next girls’ get-together (p. 17). Later, why not invite the family for a night around the fire pit for a little s’mores fun. Now that sounds like the perfect summer’s day! Embracing a new season is also like embracing many of the changes that come in life. Position yourself to take on whatever comes your way with a little humor, a lot of grace and even more self-love. Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself room to grow and evolve. View life as a book filled with a variety of cliff-hanging chapters. This is how Cheryl McElroy has embraced the grandeur time in life known as menopause. Check out her real-life, humor-infused story about how she is personally embracing her own menopausal experience. (p. 30) Inspiring, educating, empowering – three power words that make Hope what it is today. We are proud to feature Terri D. Sanders’ inspiring journey (p. 22) as the newest editor and publisher of Omaha Star, the oldest Black-owned newspaper in Nebraska. On page 21, we share the amazing work done by Pathstone, an organization providing a variety of services and programs that create opportunities for families and individuals to build better lives. We also continue our intentional collaboration with the Indiana Department of Health to provide educational COVID-19 information and vaccine opportunities (p. 36). May you experience every moment of this season, celebrating the big and appreciating the small. Enjoy our summer edition of Hope – as we continue to evolve through our life journeys together. All my love,