Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.
Alphonse Karr
The roses are celebrating the first day of summer!
Yesterday brought a downpour with so much rain for the grass and flowers that mowing was out of the question and postponed for at least a day. The roses appreciated the extra moisture and were looking splendid this morning. Even though I was running a few minutes late, I felt the need to “stop and smell the roses.” I have yet to plant a rosebush at the new/old house, but I am thankful for those my parents planted. Maybe next year I’ll add one or two to the mix.
One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
Dale Carnegie
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
from “To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick
This morning on the way to work, I happened to be behind a car that had a sticker on the window that said, “I hope something good happens to you today.” It made me smile and brightened my day. I resolved that I would find a similar sticker so that I can, hopefully, similarly brighten the day of anyone who happens to be behind me. When I saw the one above on Amazon that included the adorable smiley face, I quickly added it to my cart.
With so much divisiveness in the world today, seeing a sign like this gives me hope. The sign didn’t mention that it only applied to those with similar world views or similar political leanings, just to anyone who happens to see it.
Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.
Ron Hall
I have already had some good things happen today, but seeing the sticker reminded me to appreciate them. Today it will be 10 months since my first date with my sweetie, the sun is shining and it is a perfect 70 degree day with a respite from the severe storms we have had the last few days.
On Thursday it will be two years since my Mom passed and her headstone is finally in place at the cemetery and looking so good. Mom loved smiley faces and would have gotten quite a kick out of the smiles on the flowers. She would most definitely have wanted one of these stickers for her car as well!
A new flag to brighten my front flowerbed 🌸🌷🌼My little gift for Mom 😊❤️😊A beautiful white iris just about to bloomHappy flowers for Mom
To all those who are reading this right now, I hope something good happens to you today!
Looking back from Where I stand tonight I wouldn’t change A thing about my life Wrong turns I Had to take back In those crazy years Could not have been mistakes If they brought me here
Cause all my roads Have led me to This night, this love I share with you And though the road Was never smooth Life has made me someone who Could be the right someone for you
I don’t regret A single broken heart That taught me what love is And what it’s not Someone must have planned Our two paths would cross I couldn’t see it then But I was never lost Cause all my roads…
Detours, dead ends, Endless explorations You were my only destination Cause all my roads…
Just got back from seeing a movie all alone. The original plan was to see the new “Top Gun with my honey, but something came up, so I opted for the latest Downton Abbey. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had the entire theater all to myself, so I had no worries about people talking or using cell phones or sitting directly in front of me. 😉 Sometimes a diversion from the original plan can turn out better than we anticipate.
On the way home, the song by Collin Raye that I shared above came on my Spotify playlist. It started me pondering and led to some deep thoughts. 😉 Everything that I have been through has made me the person I am today. Even the bad experiences helped me to learn to deal with the difficult feelings and taught me to set boundaries and to disconnect from relationships that are not healthy for my spirit.
Part of my journey was to learn a bit more independence and to realize that even when I am not in a romantic relationship, I still have value and still love and am loved by many people.
I think ruminating on this and reveling in the relationship I am blessed to be in now has made me more willing to forgive those who have hurt me. Learning to overcome the hurt made me appreciate even more finding someone who would never intentionally hurt me.
I don’t have to forget, but I can forgive.
This last weekend while visiting my Mom’s grave and seeing the beautiful headstone that is finally in place, my sweetheart noted that our moms were born in the same year, mere days apart. This, coupled with the fact that he and I were born on the same date, but different years seems like it has to be more than coincidence. I believe there definitely was some divine intervention that brought us together. I like to think our moms met in Heaven and gave a few little nudges to each of us to ensure that we would meet. It makes me smile to think of them cheering when we “matched” and planned our first date. 😉❤️😉
While the road has definitely not been smooth, it has made me someone who can appreciate and cherish the special person that I am with now. ❤️
I couldn’t have predicted where this road would lead me. I feel like wherever it is leading, though, I am heading in the right direction. 😊
Haters never win. I just think that’s true about life, because negative energy always costs in the end.
Tom Hiddleston
Just a little reminder to all of us, including me, that it matters little what others say about us. Those that feel the need to criticize or condemn do so, I believe, from a place of jealousy and insecurity. The best thing for us to do is to ignore the haters. Often the very things they say about us reflect their own weaknesses. Their cruel comments and actions reflect more on them and show what sad, miserable people they are.
The best revenge is to enjoy all the good things in our lives and to put the haters and their opinions out of our minds. Let karma deal with them 😉
I hope you have a fabulous day!!
❤️ Beth
You can’t let someone else lower your self-esteem, because that’s what it is – self-esteem. You need to first love yourself before you have anybody else love you.
My entry for Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge. I wanted to share the lovely ice cream tulip that is just starting to open up. Spring is such a magical time for flowers!
Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
Luther Burbank
My beautiful ice cream tulip 🌷
Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.
With the state of the world these days, it’s easy to get bogged down in worries of finances, of the future, of our families. This is just a little reminder to listen to the wise words of the late Bob Marley and remember that every little thing is gonna be ok.
This song by Billy Dean is always good for boosting my mood as well. It is so true that the simple things can get you through the hardest times.
Here are a few pictures of some of the “simple things” in my life that have brought a smile to my face through the years:
It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
A picture I have hanging in my office, purchased from a very talented artist in New Orleans, that helps me to keep things in perspective.The shed is SO close to completion!! I already have my birdseed and critter food stored out there so it is easy to get the feeders filled up in the mornings! Watching the birds and bunnies and squirrels is one of the simple pleasures that I dearly love ❤️
I hope you find some time today to just take a breath and to know that every little thing is going to be ok!
The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.
Bernard Williams
Pasque FlowerAmazing progress on the shed!My tulips are at the height of their glory!
I love the above quote. I think it is true that Spring gives hope with the new growth, renewal of outdoor activities and longer, warmer days. Every day after work I can walk around my yard and see new buds poking out and new flowers blooming. I was excited yesterday to see the lovely little pasque flower, the South Dakota state flower, blooming. My work in the flowerbed last fall planting tulip bulbs has rewarded me with beautiful tulip blooms. The shed is looking so wonderful! Perhaps the warmer weather this weekend will help further progress to be made.
With some shingles and the side door (and a coat of white paint on the door….my job), the shed will be complete!!
Thinking of spring inspired the following little zentangle/drawing:
In spring, the dead trees, roots, and animals come to life again exactly as they were, thus providing hundreds of thousands of examples, specimens, and proofs of the supreme resurrection.
Sometimes, I find myself in a blue mood. In the past, I have tried to “turn that frown upside down” and to push aside those introspective, not so positive thoughts. One thing my therapy sessions helped me with is learning that ALL feelings need to be felt and validated.
I have learned that sitting with those feelings and sometimes even letting myself ruminate on the “worst possible outcome” is not a bad idea. Asking “What would I do if…?” about the worst scenario imaginable can let my brain run wild over all potential possibilities and get those worries out of my head and maybe down on paper in my journal.
Eventually, I always remind myself that no matter what challenging situations I have encountered in the past, I somehow made it through them. I recall the saying that this too shall pass, both good and bad. A year from now, or two or three or four as the case may be, whatever I am struggling with at the moment will be a distant memory.
Taking this approach helps me to appreciate the happy moments and to muddle through the challenging ones knowing that neither will last forever. ❤️
I drew these a couple weeks ago, thinking I had a long time before Easter was here. Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass made me wonder where the weeks have gone. It reminds me of a quote from Gretchen Rubin in her wonderful book, The Happiness Project, “The days are long but the years are short.”
The school year will be coming to an end soon. Mara already has her flight home booked and leaves one day after her high school graduation. It does seem that the year has flown by!
Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.
Janine di Giovanni
In spring, the dead trees, roots, and animals come to life again exactly as they were, thus providing hundreds of thousands of examples, specimens, and proofs of the supreme resurrection.
Said Nursi
Wishing you all a Happy Easter and a beautiful spring. Hopefully the winter weather will soon be a distant memory. 💕🐇💕
Exactly a year ago today (3/30/2021) my divorce was finalized. It was a day for me to breathe a sigh of relief. After dealing with the ex-husband’s silent treatments, threats and offers to try again if I was willing to meet certain conditions, I was beyond ready to be done. His moods could shift just like the flip of a switch and I never knew which side of my ex-husband I might be dealing with.
After going through all that, I knew that I needed to do some work on myself before I entertained the thought of being with anyone again. I was broken and I knew I needed to heal and to learn to be ok with myself and to set boundries for any future relationships. At that time, one year seemed like a perfectly reasonable amount of time to give myself before embarking on any dating adventures.
I was still holding on to some slim hope that maybe my now ex-husband would decide that he missed me and that he might be willing to give us another chance. Maybe counseling could help, I thought. After all, the last time we saw each other in April, he said he would probably always love me and we kissed. I remember telling him that if he could figure out what was going on in his head and give us another chance, I didn’t plan to start dating until March 30, 2022.
I finished therapy in June and had my therapist’s blessing to try my hand at a date here and there. I activated accounts on Zoosk and Match.com Although I did go out on one date and a few activities as friends, I think the hope for a possible reconciliation was still there. Once I discovered that there had been another woman in the picture, I found it MUCH easier to let that hope die. I felt so stupid and so gullible, but at least I finally had an explanation for the erratic behavior.
Fast forward to August of last year. I had exchange students arriving in the middle of the month and decided that one last date before the schedule got crazy might be fun. I was a bit apprehensive as I walked through the Olive Garden parking lot, and when I saw my date on the bench out front, I thought….”Nice! He is cuter than his profile pic.” I was a bit sad when our lunch date was ending, so when we made plans for a movie that evening, it was very cool! We ended up seeing quite a bit of each other in the days that followed and a sweet kiss after a walk through the park made me want to see even more of him. ❤️
We enjoyed a short walk on the beach during our last morning in Miami.
We have been together for seven months now and took our first trip together last week. I can’t answer for him, but I know I really enjoyed having time away from responsibilities and time to just enjoy each other’s company. I think we complement each other very well. I love it when he holds my hand when we’re walking and when he calls me “hon” or “dear”. He is incredibly talented at fixing and building things. He is currently working on building a shed for me and I am in awe of how he knows exactly what to do without even looking at any plans. He has it clear in his head what it should look like and he just goes from there and creates it!
A memento of our trip. 💕
I tend to overthink and to look far into the future. Right now, though, I am telling my brain to trust my heart and to enjoy the present moment. ❤️ I don’t need to know exactly how the story turns out to make the very most of this wonderful new chapter! ❤️
picturingpositive 