by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 6, 2025 | About Summer
Xavier hated doors. He was so offended by being blocked from his people. Karen and I still don’t shut doors unless we have guests over.
Once he got out when he and I lived with my mother. Somehow he got between the storm door and wooden door to the house and began crying. I was so happy he was safe. Xavier was not born with the same instincts of survival that most animals have. Another time I thought he got out, which would have been odd because he was terrified of the front door, I had searched the house top to bottom and did not find him, until he got hungry and began crying for me. He was in Mom’s linen closet, apparently that is a great napping place.
When we lived at The Monticello he got out. I am not sure how long he was wandering the hall or if he even wandered at all. His call for me was mighty and I saw him an apartment down and he ran inside as soon as I opened the door.
That was the last time he was ever curious about the door.
Xavier didn’t mind fireworks as a kitten. He just played with his toys. But when he was mature he was terrified. Lucky for us he was also scared of the front door. He had is safe spots and that was where I could check on him, pat his head, and let him know it would stop eventually.
Xavier died in April 2024. I have had two 4th of July celebrations without him. It’s easier to fall asleep since I don’t have to worry about him. I did check out the Cowlitz County Lost and Found group on Facebook and it is overwhelmed by pets that are missing. I am so sorry for those fur babies and their people.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 27, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
I have never had a blood clot, that I know of, until I got endometrial cancer, which both this type of cancer and the treatment of this type of cancer cause. My oncologist assured me that once my cancer was gone, I would no longer need to take Eliquis, which is very expensive, even if you have insurance. As far as I know, blood clots don’t run in my family so this should have been an easy run.
I am struggling with the fact that two doctors, one being my new blood specialist, said that since I have had two severe episodes, the last one coming on very fast and apparently originating in my lungs, I will have to remain on blood thinners for the rest of my life. This feels like such a failure.
I went off my Eliquis a couple weeks before my first radiation treatment . We had intended to start the treatments a week earlier but adjustments needed to be made so we didn’t do the first treatment as planned, but I stayed off the blood thinner.
On Monday I have to get some special blood work done. These labs will tell us if I have a hereditary condition, we didn’t know about. After these labs are completed, we will create a new plan of action for when we start up the radiation treatments, which have been paused for a month while my lungs heal and we figure out how to handle my blood clotting issue.
I wish drugs that are so necessary were not so expensive. I wish it didn’t hurt so bad to heal. I know I am a blessed woman. I wish I didn’t have to dig past so many distractions sometimes to remember that.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 25, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
I woke up at 2:30 am on Saturday. I was aware something was wrong when I had gone to bed. Something had been wrong since Wednesday when I had had my first radiation treatment for endometrial cancer. My ribs and lungs had begun hurting. I thought it was fibromyalgia responding. This was normal but it kept getting worse. As I would get up to do things I would get out of breath easily. It had been getting worse. After going to the bathroom, I barely made it back to bed. My breathing never came back to complete normal.
At 3 am, I woke Karen. I told her something was wrong. I needed to go to the hospital. She was so tired. She watched me for awhile. I asked her what she was thinking and she said she was just watching me. Soon I needed to use the bathroom again. This time, I couldn’t make it back to the bed. I sat at the desk while I labored to breathe and sweated profusely. It felt like the last time I was hospitalized for blood clots. Karen agreed this was wrong. She started dressing. I was giving orders to pack certain things I would need. I knew I would be admitted. She was bringing clothes to me and helping me dress.
I had to use the restroom again and barely made it back to the desk chair. I was trying to figure out how I was not sure how I was going to make it to the car. I was so scared. Luckily the building we live in had chairs in the midway point so I could rest before forcing myself to walk the rest of the way to the car and get in.
As we started towards the main road, I said Legacy Salmon Creek. Karen was so scared she said no, St John. I said no. I won’t get out of the car. In the end I got what I wanted. I think St John ER is great, but I am still healing from my experience in their ICU with my blood clots back in 2022. I had a great experience with Legacy Salmon Creek in 2014 and my gynecological oncologist is there and she manages my Eliquis because my blood clots are related to my cancer, and she is an amazing doctor. I knew I would have a better experience at Legacy Salmon Creek and I did.
I was so sick. I had ultrasounds on my heart, liver and legs; very painful. My heart and liver were very stressed out because of the very large blood clot in my right lung and the many medium clots in my left lung. Both my arms are covered in bruises from constant blood pressure checks, blood draws, and drug administration. Even my fingertips are bruised from blood sugar checks.
I had to fight for my medications. The weekend doctor, although kind and interesting, stopped all my meds. Some of my meds are not meant to just stop. They kept me on a liquid diet and sometimes took even my fluids away as they weren’t sure when they were going to remove my blood clots. I didn’t care about food; I was too tired. Even jello was a chore to eat. But I hated when I couldn’t have water because when you are on oxygen your nose and mouth become so dry.
Eventually I got my meds back. Which is good because my mood was very bipolar. Thankfully I had my phone and backup battery with me so I could keep my music going. It helped my mood and often the nurses enjoyed it and would feel embarrassed when they started dancing. I told them not to be embarrassed; my wife dances all the time.
I had to be awake during my surgery so when the doctor needed to take a picture, I could hold my breath. They cheered when they got the biggest clot out. I think they forgot I was awake when I asked if I could see it because they were very surprised. When they were done, they showed me a picture of a huge pile of clots. I said, no wonder I was having such a hard time breathing. They agreed.
They also installed a metal mesh so that any clots that form in my legs cannot get into my lungs and heart. I will have that removed after my cancer is gone.
I am still very weak. You don’t just go back to 100% after having blood clots in your lungs and I still have some small ones in my lungs that my body has to break down.
I had stopped taking my Eliquis for the radiation therapy and been off of it for 2 weeks. The blood thinners stop the blood from clotting. I won’t be able to go off of Eliquis but for a couple of days when we return to the last three treatments, but Dr Westhoff says we are taking a month for me to heal. By the look of my arms, I know my veins are happy about that, but I know my lungs need to recover too.
On the way home, I was planning to make a lentil soup because that is the ingredients I have. When I told Karen, she told me no. Then I realized I have slept most of the day since Saturday and I probably didn’t have the energy to make anything. I did end up sleeping most of today.
Money is tight. All the trips to Vancouver are out of our normal. My Eliquis is a much larger dose so we have that too. But through all this, even though God could have moved this mountain, He didn’t. Even though I was too tired to talk to Him, except for a few people that landed on my heart, I know He carried me the entire way, provided for every need, and will keep doing the same because He loves me. God bless you.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 20, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
Wednesday was probably the most painful day I can ever remember. It wasn’t the radiation that hurt, because it didn’t. But everything before and after that did. I have a great doctor and all the nurses were wonderful but being tied to a table with your legs up in the air is excruciating and unlike last week when I refused pain meds, this time, I accepted everything they offered, however it didn’t help.
I was under anesthesia when Dr Dyer inserted the applicator for the needles that apply the radiation, that is attached to the table. I was not under anesthesia when he had to put it back in because I had pulled it out because my knees were hurting and I couldn’t hold still. I learned to keep my hips still after that.
He was shocked when he finally asked me where my pain was and I told him my knees. We tried oxy, fentanyl, something that starts with a t, there might have been a few others and oxy and fentanyl we did twice, nothing worked. I had to be in that position for a CT scan, while they readjusted things, while they made an action plan, the 42 minutes I actually was getting the treatment, and until they could get me into the OR to remove the applicator and catheter. Pretty much most of the day.
Last week, I wasn’t there as long because when we got to the CT scan, he realized he needed to make more adjustments to the applicator and needles to do the most good for me. The pain had been in my back, my knees weren’t so bad. So before I left for the hospital on Wednesday, I covered my back with doTERRA’s Deep Blue Stick (contact me if you have any questions about this product). My back did fine. I will be doing this with my knees next time we do this and my back and bring it with me. Apparently, my body is used to doTERRA and not pain meds.
During the radiation I was trying to focus on my breathing but I was writhing in pain and moaning, sometimes praying to God. A couple times my alarms went off and I would hear my doctor’s patient voice reminding me that he needed me to focus on long deep breaths in and out. I was so glad when it was over. My doctor loosened the straps on my legs so I could move them a little bit but I still had to keep my feet in the stirrups. Being able to wiggle my toes and slightly straighten my knees helped so much!
My doctor told me he was so proud of me and that we had got such a good treatment that he didn’t think I would have a lot of bleeding. (I have a lot of blood vessels in my uterus and I tend to bleed for a long time.)
Eventually they took me to a regular room, which was odd because I was supposed to go home. They brought me a regular gown to wear instead of the paper one I had been wearing all day. They were surprised that my room didn’t have a bed and were about to order one and I said no. I had no idea why I was in this room but I had no plans to stay. I wasn’t about to put on a hospital gown, I could wear my own clothes. So one nurse began the hunt for my discharge orders and another nurse started taking the electrodes off my chest but I beat her to most of them and she laughed, knowing I was done with being handled by strangers.
It took a few hours to find my doctor because he was in surgery, so my nurse kept coming back to check my vitals and the first time she asked if she could check if I was bleeding, I said, “I have had more people in my vagina today than I have had in my entire life, knock yourself out.” She laughed.
Honestly I was ready to do anything to go home. On our way home we drove Hwy 30 instead of I-5. It was so beautiful!
I have 3 more treatments to go. The last one is July 3…so my Independence Day will be spent sleeping and healing…
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 19, 2025 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
Summer is here and it is time to read. In my house, Summer is always here and there are piles of books everywhere. I need to buy a bookshelf or two. But hopefully those books will inspire adventures in the sun, or if you are feeling sick you can live vicariously through the pages of a wonderful story.
Now without further ado 5 Books for June 2025:
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King Alice by Matthew Cordell
King Alice by Matthew Cordell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
King Alice by Matthew Cordell is a story about a family on a snow day, or rather, on the second snow day. The imaginative grade schooler is writing her story, starring as King and everyone else is her brave knight, including her Dad, Mom and baby sister.
King Alice starts each chapter of her book, which are the activities of the day, with humor. King Alice illustrates them too. This story is full of colors, pirates and unicorns to talk about. I found this to be an enjoyable read.
I got this book from the Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of King Alice by Matthew Cordell on Amazon.
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Cinnamon Bun, I Love You 1 by Amy Schwartz
Cinnamon Bun, I Love You 1 by Amy Schwartz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cinnamon Bun, I Love You 1 by Amy Schwartz is a counting book with delightful illustrations. This book offers a number of sweet things to count and talk about while working on your toddler’s vocabulary and colors. This picture book is a great addition to your little one’s collection.
I got this book from the Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Cinnamon Bun, I Love You 1 by Amy Schwartz on Amazon.
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The Red Canoe by Anne Yvonne
The Red Canoe by Anne Yvonne Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Red Canoe by Anne Yvonne is a beautiful story written like poetry that tells of a boy who enjoys his canoe and cares for it as he grows and eventually moves away. The canoe misses the boy, but luckily another boy moves in and fines the canoe and new adventures begin. The illustrations are stunning in this historical children’s fiction story.
I got this book from the Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of The Red Canoe by Anne Yvonne on Amazon.
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Sofia Valdez Future Prez by Andrea Beaty
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this book! Sofia Valdez Future Prez by Andrea Beaty has good timing so it is easy to read. It has colorful and fun illustrations by David Roberts that make you want to stop and take them all in. But most of all the characters are believable and encouraging and they work together with neighbors and politics to inspire Sofia to make their community better and since Sofia is only in the 2nd grade, maybe she will keep working through activism and relationships and find herself running for president one day.
I got this book from the Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Sofia Valdez Future Prez by Andrea Beaty on Amazon.
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Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson
Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson is a memoir and great book for readers at a 3rd to 5th grade level. I think the fun letters and lessons that Clayton writes, that he couldn’t actually mail back to earth without them catching on fire at re-entry, might inspire children to be interested in science and even a few future astronauts. This book is written in an easy to understand format and the illustrations by Susan Batori are fun and engaging.
View all my reviews
I got this book from the Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson on Amazon.
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I was lucky to find a few favorite stories to add to my must purchase list on eBay. I hope that you find a few favorite things this summer while you are doing whatever makes your heart happy.
Be blessed.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 16, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
I feel frozen. We did not do a radiation treatment on Thursday, as planned, yet I had done the cleanse on Wednesday and I had the contraption inserted to do the radiation. I had the CT scan. I had several kinds of pain meds but they didn’t help at all. They removed the device. I’m still hurting inside. I’m still bleeding a tiny bit. I still have bruises and 12 injection spots on my hands. They didn’t try getting an IV in my hands until I was under sedation. If they would have asked me, I would’ve told them that was a bad idea. I am angry that I have 12 injection sites. They are swollen and hurt.
I have to do another cleanse tomorrow. I have to go back on Wednesday. This time I have to be there at 9 am instead of 6:30 but the time does not matter. I am not sleeping well at all so I am exhausted all the time. This feels too heavy.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 12, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
We did not do the radiation treatment today. Today was extremely painful. At some point, I had been given several forms of pain medication and none of them made a difference. My uterus is larger than usual so my doctor needs to adjust the length of the needles that deliver the treatment to give me the best opportunity for healing. It was necessary that I lie on my back with my legs in padded stirrups the whole time I was there. This put a lot pressure on my knees and back. It was terrible. Also there is a device they put in my vagina used to deliver the radiation. Even though my uterus is larger than usual, my vagina is small, long and curved.
I try not to snap at doctors but eventually I was just saying, “I don’t care, do what you need to do to get done.” Karen was not supposed to come in the CT room but Dr Dryer knew I was really suffering and he brought her in for a moment. He was not only letting her comfort me but he wanted to show her what he was planning. I love how Legacy’s philosophy is to treat the whole patient.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 11, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer
Today I am on a clear liquid diet and a colon cleanse to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to be at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland at 6:30 am and I will spend all day there, having several procedures related to radiation. The nurse explained it all to me but I don’t want to remember. I told her I will probably dissociate much of it but I will do what I am told at the time. This is how I get through hard things. I told her in stressful situations my body sometimes twitches in my torso. If it is severe, it looks like a seizure but it’s not. I also might might hyperventilate if I have an anxiety attack, but if you let me handle myself, I know what to do, however I will be under anesthesia for some of the procedures and I have not experienced these under anesthesia, I thought I should let her know. She was appreciative.
I was explaining this to my sister, Jamie Holloway, and she was sympathetic. I told her I had written down the parts I have to do before the hospital but I was trying not to think about most of it. I have left many details out. There is nothing I can do about it. She agreed.
I am so glad I have Jamie! Karen G Clemenson is strong and always by my side, but Jamie has taught me, by showing me how to do this. Many times I have been thanked for being easy to work with and I always tell the medical team what Jamie taught me, they are trying to do their job, helping them do that will make it go faster. They have a hard job. I don’t know what I would do without these two strong women in my life.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 30, 2025 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
When I was growing up my nana would read to my sisters and I. She would come alive with the story. She did voices and her her eyes would get big. Her face would become animated and her hands would grab our attention as they shot into the sky as she exclaimed great words. Nana loved words. Her love of words were instilled to me as she told us stories and wrote me letters. This is what reading to children can do for them. When you know how to read you can do just about anything you want.
Now without further ado 5 Books for May 2025:
A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman
A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Lesléa Newman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman is a thoughtful story about a little girl named Ruthie as she visits her Nana. Her grandmother has planned fun things for the two of them to do: a tea party with Nana’s dolls, dress up, and painting. But what Ruthie really wants to do is play with the neighbor boy, Brian. Brian has a fire engine with a black and white dog sitting up front, a silver ladder that slides up and down and a yellow hose to unwind. It also has a siren that goes Whee-ooh! Whee-ooh! Whee-ooh! Brian also has a train, a motorcycle, trucks, buses, and kinds of vehicles.
After Ruthie did all the things that Nana planned, she got her play day with Brian and Nana joined in too. The next day, they even went to the toy store and bought Ruthie her own fire engine.
This story is sweet and encouraging. It shows how good communication can work and play time isn’t about gender. The illustrations by Cyd Moore are adorable. I really enjoyed this book.
I got this picture book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman on Amazon.
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Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
(Frog and Toad All Year) By Lobel, Arnold (Author) Paperback on 01-Jan-2000 by Arnold Lobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel is a book with several stories in it: Down the Hill, The Corner, Ice Cream, The Surprise, and Christmas Eve. Out of all the stories, about different times of the year, my favorite is Christmas Eve. I like this classic story because I can relate to both Frog and Toad. I used to be late all the time like Frog, but I am still anxious like Toad, who thought of terrible things that could have happened to have made Frog late. In the end, Frog and Toad were very happy to spend Christmas together because they are very good friends who love each other.
Frog and Toad have always been one of my favorites.
I got this adorable book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel on Amazon.
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Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween: A Lift-the-Flap Book! by Alice Schertle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle, it’s Halloween and Little Blue Truck is heading to a party. Along the way he runs into other party goers and we get to guess who they are! We see animals and colors and costumes. How fun! The illustrations by Jill McElmurry are adorable.
View all my reviews
I got this book from my own personal collection. You can get your own copy of Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle on Amazon.
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Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik
Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik is a book with 4 stories in it: Little Bear and Emily, Duck, Baby Sitter, The Party at Owl’s House, and Your Friend, Little Bear. My favorite story is Little Bear and Emily. I love the illustrations by Maurice Sendak. I also love the description of the town and area where Little Bear lives. I enjoy hearing Little Bear interact with the squirrels, and birds, the little green worm, and finally, Emily, his new friend.
All of the stories in this children’s fiction picture book are about Emily’s visit during the summer. Little Bear and Emily had a wonder time.
I got this book from my own personal collection. You can get your own copy of Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik on Amazon.
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The I Love You Book by Todd Parr
The I LOVE YOU Book by Todd Parr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The I Love You Book by Todd Parr is a simple and bright colored book that reminds us that we are loved all the time, even when we are stinky or squeaky clean. The illustrations are elementary and meant to capture a young person’s attention. This book is positive and hopeful.
View all my reviews
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of The I Love You Book by Todd Parr on Amazon.
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My nana’s love for words empowered me to be able to learn what I want, when I want because I can pick up a book or google anything and learn how to do new things. Some times it takes a bit longer than reading a few words, but as soon as I start reading, I am on my way. I hope that I can encourage you to encourage someone else to learn to love words as much as I do.
Be blessed.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 29, 2025 | Food
This is a Depression Cake I feel like we should specify that it is a Chocolate Depression Cake, in case someone has a Depression Cake that is a different flavor. The recipe came out during The Great Depression; there is no dairy, eggs, or oil in it. I added a little cinnamon because I like cinnamon with chocolate. I have made this recipe more than once because the first time, the cake took much longer to cook than the directions said and it was so bland, I didn’t care for it.
I adjusted this recipe with ingredients people would have had during the time frame of the 1930’s and this cake is great. It is the consistency of brownies. You could frost it but I think it is sweet enough. I might try macerating fresh raspberries or strawberries sometime or do a light drizzle because the flavor of the cake is really nice and might get lost with frosting.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- t tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup cold coffee
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease 8-9 inch pan.
- In a large bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Add vanilla, vinegar and coffee. Mix well.
- Pour into pan.
- Bake for 35-50 minutes. Cake will be chewy,
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. The original recipe called for water instead of coffee and I added the cinnamon and salt and increased the cocoa powder. These changes really brought out the chocolate flavor and made this desert very enjoyable.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 28, 2025 | About Summer, Opinions
I hate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They are both days that remind me that I was not enough for my family. I know my parents gave all they had. I know they loved me. But they couldn’t respect me or my requests for change I needed to be able to remain in relationship with them. So many of these days I bent over backwards to make their days great and they didn’t care. So many times I tried to have communication and it didn’t work. I served them. That was what I was to them. That is what they wanted and expected from me. I helped raise their kids and I was their go between and I never learned how to be anything else and when I asked for help, money was the only thing they knew how to give, but even though that might have fixed an immediate need, that was not what I really needed. I wanted to be important. I wanted to be known. I wanted to be heard.
I see people’s posts about how much they miss their parents now that they are dead, and it is the hardest thing they can imagine. But it isn’t. The hardest thing to imagine is knowing that your parents are in the same state you live in. You could call them, but they are not going to be glad to hear from you. They are going to yell at you about something you might not have even done, years ago to someone else, that they are still angry about. They don’t care if you have cancer. They don’t care if you enabled them to work hard so they could go on yearly trips to Disneyland without you, while you took care of their kids. They don’t care if you are living in a hotel and only a couple thousand dollars would help you move to a place with a smaller amount of rent. They don’t care if you’re chronically ill, they don’t believe in mental illness anyway; I am just fat and lazy. That is what my father and his second wife think of me.
I told my father a few years ago that I no longer want to be his daughter. I still refer to him as my father because I can’t seem to call him by his name. I had a dream this morning that made me very sad. The main message was that, even though I had always thought my father’s second wife’s daughter was my friend and sister, she really is much like her mother, she just presents it differently. They are opportunists. She told me my father had changed his will to include me, he knew the things his wife did were bad but he was stuck. I was sobbing because I never wanted money; I wanted relationship and she was already gone to do something she wanted, so I was left alone again.
The dream told me nothing I hadn’t already been coming to the realization on my own, it just solidified what I already knew. I also hope I am not in my father’s will. I told him I want nothing from him after he dies and I meant it. He has caused me so much pain and confusion in my life. Any reminder of him won’t fix what he didn’t try to meet with me on while he is alive. Maybe when he is dead we can meet in our spirits when the weight of our humanity is out of the way. That is my hope.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 26, 2025 | About Summer, Opinions
I usually wait until later in the season before I enjoy a nectarine, my favorite fruit. The price is better. I also tend to buy nectarines that are still firm because my OCD doesn’t like to get dirty, but there were two perfect, soft nectarines that called to me yesterday. They were so soft, they had to be bagged for their own protection and I knew I had to eat them quickly, or I had wasted my purchase.
Today I took a bite and I was glad that I had armed myself with not one, but several paper towels. As the juice ran down my neck, I was transported to Nana and Grandpa’s back deck where all messy things were eaten. Nana and Great-Grandpa Drummond were with me. Nana was laughing gayly because she couldn’t catch the juice fast enough and Grandpa Drummond was enjoying his daughter. I was probably 8-9 years old. Even covered in nectarine juice, Nana was graceful and lovely.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of her death. I didn’t realize until I looked at the calendar. Maybe she wanted me to remember that joyful memory to remind me that we enjoyed each other. I love you Nana. I hope you are making Grandpa Bill, Grammy, Grandpa Johnny, Grandpa and Grandma Drummond laugh in heaven.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 22, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives
Dear Representative,
I am writing to persuade you to not pass Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. I don’t understand why Congress would want a plan that would raise the national debt ceiling to $4 trillion, while increasing taxes on people that make less than $157K, make huge cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, while requiring disabled people between the ages of 19-65 to work 20 hours a week, which might be a huge detriment to their health, while making them ineligible for their benefits. I don’t see why we are even considering pay increases to ICE when their budget is almost gone for the year. And why would a country that doesn’t care about its poor and sick enough to protect their health insurance and food assistance, even care about spending $75 billion on a Golden Dome? This program is a ridiculous waste of money from an administration that promised to get rid of waste and bloat, but has done nothing but create more of it.
Even if you personally are in agreement with me that this bill is actually a Monumental Malevolent Bill, you might be in the presence of someone who plans to vote for this reprehensible legislation and I need you to do whatever it takes to stop this bill from going through. This bill will cripple the people who actually do the work in this country so the rich can have their bonuses. The rich don’t need tax cuts, they already benefit from the hardworking people beneath them by hardly doing anything.
I am disabled. I have 13 chronic mental and physical illnesses plus cancer. The energy I do have before my body gives out on me, each day, is spent making sure my wife has clean clothes to wear and good food to eat so she can focus on her 3 jobs. We also help my friend that is disabled and has no spouse. This bill causes me a lot of stress. It is personal to me. I don’t care if you send a canned response to my message. What I want is to see that this rape against our society stops.
Trump is the worst president, I think, we have ever seen because he is completely removed from normal, everyday people. He hasn’t a clue what it is like to live under $100,000 a year, or less. Being poor is not evil or illegal, why should we pay so highly for it?
Please do your job. Please don’t let Trump stomp the life out of poor United States citizens.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
PS I tried to read this bill. I have read several bills and this one was too much.
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by Summer D Clemenson | May 21, 2025 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
I bought The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner with Quincy Troupe at a discount with a pile of other media items I was buying on eBay. I had enjoyed the movie back when it came out and I thought that my wife and I would enjoy the book as a media tie in. Was I surprised that only about one quarter of this autobiography was actually in the movie. In fact I would not go so far to say they were the same productions. There is an amazing biography of Chris Gardner that you can read and there is a movie version that producers were willing to produce for Will Smith to star in. There are only about 300 pages in this memoir but you don’t want to miss anything. This is not a casual read, in my opinion. This is a growth journey you take with Chris starting from his childhood.
‘“The most dangerous place in the world is a public library.” That was, of course, only if you could read, because, Momma explained, if you could read, that meant you could go in there and figure anything out.’
Even though Chris’ mother spent a lot of time in prison during his life, she also made a huge impact on his belief in himself. She made sure he could read and that he always had access to books.
Gardner was in his young teens when he and his friends were being bussed to a previously all white school on the other side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was raised. Chris was aware of the civil rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, AL and Malcolm X being killed in Harlem. His response was to join the NAACP Youth Council.
“No matter what I had in my pocket, no matter what my suit cost, nobody could prevent me from acting as if I was a winner. Nobody could prevent me from acting as if my problems were all in the process of being solved. Pretty soon, my acting as if was so convincing that I started to believe it myself.”
Chris carried his belief in himself through his military service and through every business opportunity that led to his ultimate success. He didn’t let anyone but himself define who was. Even at his lowest moments, he learned what he needed and moved on. Eventually he became the owner of his own business with the success he had dreamed of.
I did watch the movie after I was done with the book. It is a good production and I appreciate the artistry of Smith and his son, but knowing that Chris actually accomplished everything he did with a baby in diapers makes this nonfiction success story so much more profound. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of The Pursuit of Happyness byChris Gardner with Quincy Troupe on Amazon.
Read My Review on GoodReads:
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Chris Gardner is an amazing man with a life story that is inspiring for all ages. If you think you enjoyed the cinema production, staring Will Smith, you have only heard a very small part of the story. For the full story, make sure to pick up a copy of The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner with Quincy Troupe. It is a powerful read.
View all my reviews
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 20, 2025 | Opinions, Prayers & Thanksgiving
Jesus told us that we could tell when others were true believers of God by the presence of the Fruits of the Spirit in their life. I don’t care what someone tells me about themselves. If I don’t see these attributes in their life, I know they are not a true Jesus Follower and I don’t expect good things from them. It helps me not judge them or be angry with them because they don’t know the love that I do. It helps me be at peace and feel more love, joy, patience, goodness, generosity, etc…
I want to clarify that I don’t think that only christians can have the Fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. I know that many religions teach these attributes and some people naturally have these characteristics. I know that Jesus spoke to people of other faiths and He had many friends while He was here on earth. There is one rule to being a christian, but there are many ways to be a good and loving human.
I think I am starting to understand maybe some of what God wants me to learn by His choice of our president. We want to believe that The United States of America is a christian nation but we are not truly united and we are definitely not only christian. Groups of people mess these ideas up because “group think,” while it can be powerful, is not how we do our best. We were all created to be in a personal relationship with a higher power, in my life it is the Trinity of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit; He is supposed to be the main relationship in our lives, yet we easily give this spot away to politics, religion (which is very different than relationship), addiction and idolatry, and the human condition: lust, pride and greed. We let our emotions drive us away from God, rather than towards Him so He can help us sort them out (I am so guilty of this too). We judge others before we realize that we now have made ourselves guilty, when we should be praying for each other.
I understand the frustration and anger, the pain and fear because as a human being, I am compelled by the same fragility that all humans experience. But we can also choose to love. We can choose to look around and ask ourselves, “How can my anger benefit someone and when is it causing a problem?” MOST of the time, our anger must be let go. Sometimes anger compels us to do important things. But most of the time, it is only to show us where we need to cry out to Jesus.
I am trying to remember this. I am trying to let go of the austerity I once thought was important. I am trying to just tell my Savior, sometimes only in groans and tears that I am sad, overwhelmed and I need help. When I hear of people being murdered or taken advantage of on the news, I pray for the hurt person and their loved ones. When I read about war, I pray for help and wisdom, because only God really knows all the details. When I hear about tornadoes and other scary weather and I can hardly breathe, for the pain I feel for those that are in that turmoil, God knows what I can’t say. When my friends are hurting sometimes I just sit with God because my pain is too big and I don’t have to say anything because God loves them more than I do.
No politician can give me this. There is no amount of money that can buy me this type of safety. Even my friends and loved ones are going to fail me, but Jesus never has. He deserves my attention. God’s Spirit is love, which is where all the Fruits of the Spirit come from. We learn these for ourselves by spending time with Him. That is why we need Him.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 18, 2025 | Poetry
I missed you today
I have missed you lots of days
because you are going through
a quiet phase
You have much that overwhelms you
I understand
because I do too
~
The smell of depression
meets your guests before
they cross our threshold
But I don’t want to talk about it
and you refuse to
So we applaud any success
we can find
~
Melancholy is not my friend
but a regular companion
I don’t enjoy it
but I live in spite of it
I have learned to be careful
when talking about mine
But I wish we could talk about yours
~
I don’t know how to help you
I don’t know if there are
resources that will overcome the no’s
you have been told so many times
No matter what
I love you
I see you trying
~
You know where to find me
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 29, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
I am writing in regards to Trump’s Presidential Action: Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens aka Martial Law.
Trump says he wants to “firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens,” stop citizens from “demonizing law enforcement and impose legal and political hand cuffs,” and stop cities that “unlawfully engage in discrimination or civil rights violations under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion‘ initiatives that restrict law enforcement activity or endanger citizens. But these are all rights that should be left for the states to decide. Trump has said that the states should govern themselves, but he has changed his ways as he has tasted power that has gone unchecked by Congress and the Judicial Branch. He is establishing Martial Laws as he has been found guilty of breaking the laws he is supposed to uphold. I do not believe that the general public requires military intervention on our streets. I am seeing government failure and it makes me sad.
I have read articles that talk about civil war and world war and if it happens, it will be because you did not do your job. You are supposed to hold the president accountable. Judges are supposed to hold the president accountable. Yet he is being allowed to continue to blindly fire people and dismantle important institutions, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is still in El Salvador, regardless of what the court said, tariffs are ridiculous, civil rights are being stripped and Trump spends millions of dollars playing golf while pushing for massive cuts to Medicare and Social Security for people that can’t help themselves.
So you have 90 days to stop this executive order from coming to fruition and I am asking you to do something different than what has been happening. This 100 days has been so stressful and I am afraid of what is going to happen if we keep heading in this direction. Please impeach Trump.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 28, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
I saw a very moving testimony by Jason Deford, aka Jelly Roll, before the House about the Halt Fentanyl Act or H. R. 27. I see that it passed the House and I am glad.
I appreciate that this bill would permanently make fentanyl a class 1 controlled substance. I see that this bill would empower authorities to incarcerate drug dealers that sell substances containing this dangerous drug to longer sentences and hopefully this is an incentive to not sell, or at least get dealers off the streets. I also believe opening this drug up to more research opportunities is probably beneficial.
Please don’t let this bill die. Please make sure this bill is brought up for vote and when you have an opportunity to vote, please vote to pass H. R. 27.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 25, 2025 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
Reading is a great way to build our character and knowledge base. It is an excellent way to build community and relationship, whether you are reading to children or sharing books with your friends, you are sharing parts of yourself with someone. In the chaos of the world the quiet you can find in a book is so important to our mental and spiritual health. I hope you can find time for that. When I am super blue, I know I have waited too long time get lost in words.
Now without further ado 5 Books for April 2025:
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Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the story Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle, Little Blue took a trip to the city where things are bigger and faster. Everyone was frustrated that Little Blue was not so fast but he reminded them all that with transport, one at a time was a must. When the mayor’s limousine needed repairs, Little Blue gave the mayor a ride before he headed on home.
The colorful illustrations by Jill McElmurry give lots of opportunities to work on vocabulary with your children in this board book.
I got this picture book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle on Amazon.
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Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik
Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik is a wonderful collection of 4 family stories: 1) Little Bear and Owl, 2) Father Bear Comes Home, 3) Hiccups and 4) Little Bear’s Mermaid. Out of all the stories in this book, Little Bear and Owl is my favorite because Little Bear gets to help Mother Bear do something that Father Bear usually does. Right now, Father Bear is away at sea, fishing, so Little Bear gets to go to the river and be a fisherman. When he gets there, he finds Owl. They pretend to catch an octopus and a small whale, but really Little Bear caught a small fish, which is exactly what Mother Bear wanted.
The rest of the fiction stories are related to Father Bear coming home and the fun that Little Bear has with his friends.
The illustrations are simple and classic and add to the nostalgia of these stories. I had this book as a child and I am enjoying them again.
I got this adorable book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik on Amazon.
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Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
Frog and toad together / by Arnold Lobel by Arnold Lobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel is a sweet collection of 5 short stories about Frog and Toad. These fantasy stories include: 1) A List, 2) The Garden, 3) Cookies, 4) Dragons and Giants, and 5) The Dream. After reading all the stories, my all time favorite is Cookies. My best friends and sister, Jamie Holloway and I love to cook and eat and this story reminds me us trying to have self-control, or will power as Frog and Toad call it. The boys give it their all but finally offer the rest of their cookies to the birds. However, Toad, who made the cookies, decides that he doesn’t like all this will power, and he decides to go home to bake a cake.
These two friends are as supportive of each other as they can be. This story shows how creative they were to make good choices about not over-eating and being helpful with each other. I think this a great story time book.
I got this book from my own personal collection. You can get your own copy of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel on Amazon.
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Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H. A. Rey
Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Curious George is a monkey known for getting into mischief and having adventures but this story, Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H. A. Rey is pretty mild. In fact, it was so long, I should have taken a break. The alphabet can be tedious to learn in one sitting and even Curious George, The Man in the Yellow Hat and all the animals didn’t make it very fun for me.
I got this book from my own personal collection. You can get your own copy of Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H. A. Rey on Amazon.
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In the Night Garden by Carin Berger
In the Night Garden by Carin Berger is an amazing book with captivating poetry. I have read this book before and had to add it to my personal collection. I imagine if my Nana, who loved to read stories to her grandchildren, were still with us, she would love to look at the amazing collage like art and let the beautiful words dance on her tongue. She would have loved this book as much as I do.
This one is worth owning and sharing.
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of In the Night Garden by Carin Berger on Amazon.
This is my original review on GoodReads:
In the Night Garden by Carin Berger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! It was relaxing but inspiring. The art seemed like it should be multi-dimensional. I think I will be adding In The Night Garden by Carin Berger to my personal collection.
View all my reviews
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With the climate of political, financial and civil unrest our world is in, I want to encourage you to find peace anywhere you can find it. These books brought me moments of joy and peace. I encourage you to find something that helps you find those things too. I hope you enjoyed this book reviews and maybe you have some of your own. If you want to suggest or share some of your own, Please Contact Me.
Be blessed.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 24, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
Senate Bill 5393 is horrendous! I am disgusted that the democrats voted for the largest budget in Washington State‘s history, including huge tax increases, all while our nation is being attacked by Trump and his MAGAs, and now, with all the money you have, you still want to shut down schools for humans with severe disabilities. Shame on you!
This is not what I voted for and not what I want to continue to vote for again. Please do better. Find a way to keep these people in their home and not shut down their school.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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