The Wild Honey Buzz - How to Survive and Thrive in 2025, June Edition, Happy Book Birthday and Summer Action Items
- Wild Honey Blogger
- Jun 6
- 5 min read
It's hard to believe that my book, "In the Grip of Grace" is turning one year old! I had a fun party for her at one of the little libraries in my neighborhood (we have several, but this one is the closest to my house). I gifted a copy of my book to the little library and hope that it is read and circulated among the neighbors and beyond! I would like to thank everyone who has purchased a copy, written a review, attended my readings or in any way welcomed and supported this baby! If you'd like to give her a birthday present, I'd LOVE it if you could request the book from your local public library. I want very much for folks to be able to access the book through their library. I often use inter-library loan services to request books that my local libary doesn't have on the shelf. It is a terrific service! If the book is available at a library in another state, librarians can request that it be shipped to my state and I'm notified when it is ready to be picked up here.
Here are a couple of quotes I love and that I think are related to the themes in my book, "In the Grip of Grace" - "We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory." (Louise Gluck) and "We are not made of cells; we are made of stories." (Dr. Zach Bush)
My summer reading list is a stack of poetry books, most of which I got at the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Conference that I attended in March in Los Angeles. I look forward to sharing these titles in a future blog. You can find a full list of all of the books I've read and my reviews of them on The Story Graph.
June is a very celebratory month! My son was born in June, the 14th is my 39th Wedding Anniversary (it's also No Kings Day...more on that below), June 15 is Father's Day, Juneteenth is the 19th, and the entire week of June 16 is Pollinator Week (a big one for bee advocate, Wild Honey!), and of course, we have the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere on the 20th, followed by Mid Summer's Eve and Mid Summer's Day and the month long Pride celebration.
About No Kings Day on June 14.....this will be a nation-wide celebration of the United States of America as a King-Free and Dictator-Free Zone! We the People will be in the streets celebrating our solidarity (SOLIDARITY IS SEXY) and protesting against the wannabe dictator currently occupying the White House and calling for his impeachment and removal. You can go to www.nokings.org to find a protest location near you. I love this quote from Bruce Springsteen's powerful comments during his recent concert: "All we have is each other." So. very. true!
June 24 marks the third anniversary of the overturn of Roe vs. Wade guaranteeing all women access to abortion care. Many women have suffered and continue to suffer devastating consequences of this legislation and there is nothing "pro-life" about it. It is particularly dangerous for poor women who live in states with abortion bans and can't afford to travel to receive care. It is discrimination and classism because those who can afford it can leave these states and those who lack resources cannot. In Georgia, a woman who is brain dead is being treated like an incubator and being forced against her and her family's wishes to be kept on life support even though the fetus is not expected to survive. I won't travel to states with abortion bans unless I absolutely have to, and I'm very grateful to live in Washington State where our governor recently signed State Bill 5557 to ensure individuals can access the full range of emergency medical care at hospitals across the state. This bill requires hospitals to provide an abortion when it's the necessary standard of care to protect the health or safety of a pregnant person. The bill enshrines these protections in state law to avoid any future disruptions in emergency care for pregnant Washingtonians should federal laws change. I also appreciate WA State Senator Patty Murray's continued strong defense of reproductive rights at the federal level. Her questioning of the FDA Director in this video is especially commendable.
June 22 marks the anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of WWII and one in which my father fought. It was called Operation Iceberg and was the subject of the popular movie, Hacksaw Ridge. I made a pilgrimage to Okinawa in 2019 and shared in a previous blog that my poem, "Orchids on Okinawa" based on that visit was named winner in the poetry category of table/FEAST Literary Magazine's Awards for Writers 50 and Up in December of 2023. It is now available to read here.
I'm excited to participate in the Bee Kind 5K/10K walk and run during Pollinator Week in support of the bees and the hunger relief organization Feeding America (no bees, no food!) I will share photos from the event in next month's blog. I'm also having fun planting native plants and plants that attract pollinators in my new garden. I love summer so much!!
Amidst all of the beauty in this lovely month of June, there continues to be incredible suffering around the world. Here is the statement that the Bishops of the Anglican and Episcopal Church issued regarding Gaza. I am personally in agreement with all of their statements and recommended actions. Below is my list of summer action items to address the many concerns I have regarding human rights violations and authoritarianism in the United States at this point in history:
Calling and e-mailing Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and sending messages to WA State Governor Bob Ferguson
Participating in marches and protests and attending trainings and town hall meetings in person or on-line
Staying informed by listening to podcasts and reading articles and books
Sharing on social media and in my blog - photos from protests, links to podcasts and articles, etc.
Talking with like-minded people who are in alignment with my values and volunteering at the local level - cleaning up at my local park, helping with projects at church, attending local educational events
Donating financially to good causes and mutual aid organizations like Elevated Access
Boycotting businesses and states not in alignment with my values and participating in economic blackouts like the Target boycott and Tesla Takedown events....thank you to the Europeans who are also supporting this effort!
Making and consuming art
LAUGHING - two brilliant and hilarious comedians I regularly watch and love are Lisandra Vazquez who does great imitations of the White House Press Secretary, and mermaidmamamaggie who totally cracks me up!
Despite the challenges ahead, I trust that everyone reading this can take time to enjoy the many delights of summer.
Keep hoping, speaking out, laughing and having fun!
With love,
Marianne (aka Wild Honey)
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