The Hidden Beauty

Thanks for letting me use this picture Jason. For more great pictures from Jason, visit his blog http://jasonfrels.com/2020/05/09/some-hiking-and-wildflowers/

 

Jason has shown different shots of this dead tree on his blog and each time I see it, there is something about the tree that draws me in. He displays a lot of beautiful photos on his blog of flowers and lakes, and stars in the sky, but this dead tree stands out to me. Why? I figured it out today.

As I was sitting and reflecting on all the wonderful moments with my children over the years, there were moments that kept coming back to me. Yes, there were the moments when they were little and threw their little arms around me neck and squeezed me so tight while kissing my cheek, making my heart burst. The moments they brought me their little drawings or flowers that they picked. How many times did I put dandelions in a little cup of water?

The moments that they snuggled close to me while reading them a bedtime story and we kept blowing kisses as I would walk out of the door. I found out many years later that they kept blowing me kisses even when the door was closed, praying that I would feel them.

All those moments and more, I will forever cherish, for they warm my heart. They make me feel so rich in getting to experience the blessing of Motherhood, but …..

There are other moments as well. The moments that our tear stained cheeks were pressed against each other, and my heart was breaking, because I couldn’t stop the pain. I could only hold them. These moments are forever pressed into my heart, and they really are some of the most precious moments too. For in the rawness their is beauty. There is beauty in being real!

I never want my family and friends to feel like they have to pretend that all is fine and dandy. That everything is blooming and beautiful! I want them to be real. For their is beauty in knowing they trust me with their pain, and their “ugly” moments of life.

The bond is made ever so stronger when you can lean on someone for strength, pour out your heart and know they still accept you. When all masks all dropped and there is no cover up to hide the blemishes.

So perhaps this is why I am so drawn to that dead tree, because to me it signifies the raw, moments in my life. The moments that outwardly have not appeared to be very beautiful, but yet in those moments I have found a very special beauty. The beauty of friendship and love that withstands the storms of life, and keeps standing, just like this tree!

 

 

The Moments of Beauty

picture from Pinterest

 

Marissa was mesmerized by the sight. Right now she felt like there was no other place that she would rather be. This safari ride had turned out to be amazing and as she watched the sun set her breath was taken away. She watched the elephants as they walked by the water. What majestic animals  they were.

She had always loved animals and seeing wild animals up close like this filled her heart and  made her at a loss for words.

A day like today had made all other thoughts leave her head. Today all she could focus on were the amazing animals that were roaming around, right in front of her eyes.

The lion and its lioness that she saw resting in the long grass, and the giraffe eating leaves from a tree. The baby elephant playing in the water and the zebras looking straight at her trying to figure her out.

She had come to Africa on business, but her stay had got extended due to flights being cancelled.  At first she was upset about being stuck here, but once she started exploring, she found herself slowly being enraptured by this place.  After today, she wondered if she wanted to go back to her hectic business life in the city.  How could she get tired of seeing scenes like this play out right in front of her eyes? Perhaps she should quit her job and become a safari guide.

Pinterest

Marissa knew she was just dreaming. She did enjoy her life in the city, but she was thankful for this unexpected break in her schedule. She was finding time to breathe again and to open her eyes to the wonders around her.

She had no control of the events that caused flights to be cancelled. There was nothing she could do. Wasn’t like she could rent a car and drive to the US.  Sometimes there were things totally out of our control, but there were some things she could control. One of them was what she was doing right now. Taking the time to soak in the moment, letting time stand still and opening her eyes to the beauty right in front of her.

 

Friday’s Super Short Stories!

Sometimes its the lone bird that sings the most beautiful song, if you take the time to listen!

Some rush around looking for happiness … never seeing the answer that lies in front of their eyes, because their glasses are on top of their head. 

The gift of beauty can lie in one’s hands in many ways. 

I wanted to share pictures that my sister, Karen, shared with me last night. An “Under the Sea”  crib blanket that she crocheted for someone. I may be bias but I think its amazing and she sooo didn’t share her artistic gene with me! I don’t sew! I have my order in of a special designed blanket that I want. I told her she could go into business, so what special designed blanket would you like? LOL!

 

 

Friday’s Super Short Stories!

Remember the joy at finding a surprise in a box of Crackerjacks? We need to keep that childlike joy as we embrace each new day, you never know what it may hold!

Dandelions are weeds that hold wishes! Don’t be fooled, what may look like a “weed” in your life could have some hidden beauty!

If you could be any type of animal for one day, which animal would you choose? 

 

Celebrating Nature

I was sitting out on our porch swing this afternoon taking a moment to read and enjoy the sunny weather. I looked up from my book and was struck by the brilliant blueness of the sky. We live in such a beautiful world and being that this is Earth Day, I thought would snap some pictures to share. We should always care about taking care  of the earth, for this is the only one we are going to get!

This is a Eastern Redbud tree, AKA a miracle bush for when we first got it, it did not look good at all. I faithfully watered it every day and I am pretty certain that there were drivers passing by wondering why I was watering something that looked very small and pitiful. But now every Spring I love looking out into our yard and seeing the lovely blooms.

This is our Gold Rush Red Wood tree just starting to bud once again. The leaves are so very soft.

Surprise! This is on our back porch Yes, there may be times I like to keep my readers in suspense. 🙂 Just what do you think we have in this thing at times??

Capturing the Joy of the Moment

I was taking a trip back in time yesterday as I was staring at this picture. This was taken back in 2014. Aren’t swans such a beautiful image of peace.  Our family was sitting outside in front of this lovely lake on a beautiful Spring day. We were watching the swan and eating delicious, melt in your mouth Swiss Truffles!

We were enjoying the beauty of Switzerland! Our family was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on a trip to Europe. We visited the village of Lucerne  in Switzerland, Paris and Venice, Italy. It was a wonderful time of learning about so many different things and seeing so many beautiful sights!

What stood out to me yesterday is how back in the Spring of 2014 while staring out over a peaceful lake, my heart was at peace. Life was good! Little did I know that within a year’s time, our family would be going through a very hard time as our lives would be turned upside down for a couple of years.

While going through those very tough years there were times where I longed to be back by the lake in Switzerland. Or back to walking through amazing Venice and riding on a gondola. I wanted to be in the courtyard of the Louvre again, feeling the warmth of the sunshine and enjoying the beauty of the big fountain. The feeling of being in awe that I really was there.

It struck me how if I had known about the trials my family was going to face in the coming years, I wouldn’t have felt at peace like I did when we were in Europe. In spite of being a very curious person, I realize that there are times when I don’t want to know what may lie ahead of me. It would be too overwhelming to know about something bad that was coming that I couldn’t stop. It would only create more worry and worry is something that no one needs. It never helps anything! All it does is rob the present moment of its joy. Moments of time that you can’t get back again. How sad it would have been if I would have wasted my time in Europe by worrying about the trials that were coming to my family!

I was reminded yesterday about savoring the moments as I was listening to relaxing music in my living room, reflecting on life. I may not know what lies ahead but believe me I can still let my mind wander and get me all worried about something that may or may not happen. When we let ourselves get caught up in fear and worry about the future there are so many blessings that we may miss out on seeing.

We can miss out on seeing the the beauty of the blue sky or the bright colors of a butterfly if we are focused on our worries and looking at the ground.

Its something that has been said often, but at times we just need to reminded again. Reminded to seize the day!  “C’est la vie!” A wonderful phrase and the extent of the Latin that I know!

Look for the good in each day, even when it may seem hard to find. Look for something to make you smile. It may be something as simple as a picture hanging on your wall reminding you of happy times. Let those memories warm your heart and give you the strength to go on, facing whatever may come your way.

Life is a journey of twists, turns and ups and downs. A journey that gives us smiles and tears, but a journey that is uniquely ours. A journey that will teach us things if our hearts and eyes are open to them. Lessons that we can learn in the sunshine and some that we have to learn in the rain. Embrace them all, for when added together they all make up this amazing adventure called Life!

 

Where Beauty is Found

In life we all go through a lot of things that can cause us to feel anger, bitterness and guilt. There are things that happen to us and to our loved ones that we cannot control.  There is something though that we can control.  We can control how we let ourselves be affected by what happened. We alone can make the choice to decide whether to hold onto the negative emotions or to let them go.

I have met many people throughout life and heard their stories. Stories about their joys, but also stories of their struggles. Stories of things that had brought them pain.  What has stood out to me the most as I listened, was their attitude when sharing the painful things. How with some, no matter how sad their story may be, a gentle, tender spirit shined through their words.  There was an inner joy, not based on past or present circumstances. An inner joy because they had made the decision to shine. They chose to  not carry around the heavy load of bitterness, anger or guilt. They had let it go.  I could see the softness in their eyes and yes, some tears they may shed when sharing, but the beauty of peace still radiated from them.

I heard a story on the radio that touched my heart and  it made me realize again how important your attitude is. It also showed how once again we really can learn from children.

A Mom was sharing the story about how her husband had left her and her 5 year old son and then ended up in jail, which meant no child support. She had to move her and her son into an old camper to live. One day she went to the school to pick him up and she overheard him talking to his new friends. They asked him where he lived and he told them in a camper. The Mom cringed in shame, embarrassed for her son. Then one child said to her son that he bets he wishes that he had a home to live in. The Mom again felt her heart ache as she waited for his answer. Than she cried at his response. Her son replied that he already has a home because his Mommy loves him and that’s what makes a home!

I want to be like that precious little boy, don’t  you?

 

Every year Autumn shows us a visual reminder of the beauty that can be found in letting go. Enjoy this short video clip.

 

 

 

 

 

The Beauty of Softness

This has been a very rainy summer. If we get as much snow this winter as the rain that has fallen, well that could make for a very interesting winter!

One thing about all the rain is that the grass is so lush and green. So very soft to walk barefooted in.

I think of the softness of pussy willows growing along a creek. Loving the feel of them as a child when I stroked them with my hands.

The softness of the touch of a butterfly and the soft petals of a flower.

The wonderful soft feeling of the sand between your toes.

There are so many soft things in the world, but the greatest of and most beautiful of all is the softness of a tender heart!

*All pictures are  from Pinterest.*

The Beauty of White

There is Beauty in White. Beauty in white fragrant roses and in the freshness of  newly fallen snow.

Beauty in the white of the “Baby’s Breath flower” and in the pure white of fluffy clouds in the shining blue sky.

Its the beauty in  baby lambs frolicking in the emerald green grass. The beauty of a pure white dove resting with its mate.

There is Beauty in love. The tenderness and patience in love.  The fun, happiness and peace in love.

There is Beauty in White!

Wishing you all a day of beauty that brings joy to your heart and a smile to light your face.

All the pictures were from Pinterest, except for the White Roses. Those were thanks to my dear husband. Not flowers just for Valentine’s Day, beautiful flowers that are just another way to tell me something that he shows me every day! 

I love you Dear!

 

 

 

The Field of Bliss

May Smiles, Love and Laughter Surround You like Sunflowers!

This is where my husband and I spent our morning!  A beautiful way to start the day! Hope you enjoy the little photo tour!