At times I trudge through my life, sometimes with steps as light as air, yet often as though pulling lead balls chained to my ankles; still, I find constant comfort in the face of Nature. We have had a dreary sort of Winter, although the holidays were bright and full. The unrest in the world is palpable, carried on the chilly wind and hanging in the raindrops that seem endless on every weekend that comes around here in Georgia.
Yesterday was a reprieve and I was determined to find solace in the free blessings and gifts of Mother Earth. The message in her soul is always the same, so clear and encouraging, sometimes more so in those arenas made by humans to showcase her handiwork.
We are here!!!
Each face is as unique as our own, their expression and exuberance so real you can almost hear their voices singing for the change of season. I believe Nature’s joy in Spring is contagious. Can you hear them?
We raise our voices to the Light
Sharing the warmth of beginnings
And waking fresh from Winter’s Sleep
Smiling
Spring tiptoes in on velvet slippers,
Peering around dark corners and waiting in the shadows,
lest the jealous heart of Jack Frost linger to nip her nose
or sting her toes…
Would that I could soar and fly
on dragon wings into the sky.
the bees might envy me-
I say…
Excuse me, Sir, are you going my way?
Alas, my human body is bound
upon this thawing, sacred ground
called terra firma.
but..
My dreams can fly!
As I peer into the laughing face of Sunshine, teasing us from moment to moment..
I know my thirst will be quenchedAs Nature finds a wayMy cup shall run over againA smile insists that hope existsAnd never lonely shall I be
With Nature as my muse, you see?
But vigilance and care must reign
or all was labor thus in vain.
We must not let the forever sun set on the Creator’s gift.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee and me and we,
but never they…
For Nature always finds a way…….
Today’s images brought to you courtesy of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, an ever evolving transformational vista of living beauty, located right in the heart of an enormous, bustling city. It can be done when we nurture the spirit of life and give her room to blossom!
Happy long weekend everyone. I sincerely hope that all of you are sharing some peaceful, joy filled moments over this holiday in spite of the chaos going on in the world.
I woke up this morning, as always, with brain engaged and clicking ideas at me. The idea of words is weighing heavily on my mind today, how they direct our thoughts, our creativity, our hopes and fears, and how changing just a few words can possibly change many things.
I was thinking of illness and adversity. It is quite common to hear phrases like,
“She is fighting cancer. He is battling depression.”
”They struggle with financial woes.”
Words are the most powerful magic we possess. With words one can wound or heal, lift up or tear down, encourage or depress and change the course of any given moment. Suppose then, in the statements above, although they may be true as they are, the key words were changed. What if…
”She is on a quest to heal herself.”
“His mission is to overcome depression.”
”They are challenged by the cost of living.”
This may sound trite or overly simple, but it isn’t. When we choose words that move toward positive feelings, stir and encourage empowerment over struggle and defeat, it arms us with what we need most to be successful in any situation-hope.
There is a wonderful series of books and audio programs written about the law of attraction-drawing to us that which we desire. The first one I read was The Vortex by Esther and Jerry Hicks. While there is so much to glean from this series, the primary idea that stuck with me refers to our tendency, as humans, to focus on the negative things in our lives rather than what we envision that life to be.
Many of us do this without even realizing it. Often, we pray to God, “I always find bad partners. I never meet nice men/women. People don’t like me. I don’t want to be ugly.“
What if, instead, we banish he words “bad”, “can’t” and “never” from our thoughts, prayers, wishes and ideas. Then our hope might become, “God, send me the person who will share a life of joy and happiness with me. Let others see my true beauty. Help me to be the kind of friend I need in another person.” Keep the thought of perfection clearly in your mind and, difficult as it may be, send the memory of the ‘bad’ experiences into the abyss of the past. It also helps to be thankful for what you desire before it manifests.
“I am thankful that my interview will go perfectly. This job is mine if that is where I will be most productive, happy and prosperous.”
Instead of…
“I hope they don’t hate me. I can’t lose another job or my family will starve!”.
The thoughts that you hold in your mind and heart become your reality. In a universe where God, Providence-whatever power you believe in-wants your deepest desires to be manifested for you, what you focus on will come to you.
Consider those moments when you think to yourself, “I have to stop eating junk food even though it is easy and lets me be with my friends.” In the next moment a coworker suggests you go out to your favorite burger joint to celebrate her birthday.
Instead, what if the thought becomes, “My health is important to me so I am thankful there are so many choices for me to improve my diet.” Pop. Someone shares their new gluten free recipes with you. This has happened to me. Scouts honor.
Hey, I read the books, I’ve applied these principles to my life and it does work. Do I slip into my Pity Party clothes and sink into old negative mode at times? Of course I do, those times do not linger as long as they used to.
I wish society as a whole could embrace this idea. It isn’t about being ‘politically correct’ but about spreading positive energy into a world that is becoming fraught with more negativity each day.
You can read the books or try it without ever reading a word. I love the books because they made me feel less alone in the world, less like my own little freak show.
Look, in spite of the fact that much of what is in the book some of you might want to pass off as ‘hokey’, the message is a wonderful one. I’m sure in Christ’s time what he was trying to convey, what he did by way of miracles and magic, seemed very hokey to many people. But his message has survived because it was a good one.
Unconditional love, forgiveness, no judgment, non violence, acceptance, wisdom, kindness, peace in the world of chaos.
I see many religions with these basic themes, including Christianity, but see the ideals and fundamental foundation of their faith being crushed beneath the weight of righteousness, bigotry, anger, retribution and judgment. At the heart of it all lies fear. There is no greater enemy than fear. It serves no good purpose. I truly do not believe in ‘good’ or ‘evil’ as conditions we either succumb or aspire to. They exist within every one of us and must be balanced in order for peace to ever find its way into this dream we call life. Existence knows two emotions at its core…Love and Fear. One brings peace and comfort…the other seeks to destroy that which it does not understand or accept.
I plan to carry my hope into this holiday season, to seek those who live with their inner Light shining in spite of the Fear rising in humanity. After all, it only takes one candle to light the darkness..
Use your words with the power they were intended.
There is no fear in perfect love~The Bible
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.~A Course in Miracles.
Well, it turned out to be a productive and fine #Free48 with some good food, a mini adventure, a new business prospect and even tequila shots! Rather than explain it all in boring narrative, why don’t I just share some photos with you? For details, hold your finger on the photo or tap for captions.
This building intrigues me. There is some amazing architecture in the city!
I love the Atlanta skyline from any direction
This is a cool old power control panel they left i side the Ponce Market. It used to be the Sears distribution center.
This one is for you, Dan.
We managed to find a parking space after driving around in the garage for thirty minutes
After driving around the parking garage for thirty minutes at Ponce City Market I was ready to throw in the towel when suddenly a spot opened up and we were in! Sadly, the market was so crowded that we headed right out to get onto the BeltLine…..buuuut….we couldn’t. There was a wine festival going on at the entrance and we didn’t want to attend. It was crazy. We went back inside the market to find a beer and maybe a bite of food but there was just so much chaos. We agreed to head home and grab something closer to our neck of the woods. The drive was very cool though, allowing me to get some more shots of the city. There is some fantastically original grafitti around Atlanta. These are just a couple of the random murals I saw during our drive.
We agreed on Zama Mexican, one of our favorite local spots and were both ready for a cold one and some food!
A chilly guava frozen margarita for me (only because the server misunderstood my ordering a margarita with a beer topper. This was so yummy though. Hubs had a Fos Equis.
Triple emanadas with cilantro lime dressing and that soicy sauce were perfect for me!
Yeah, we had Heradura shots which were the evening’s special. Twice. 😏
I loved this painting on the wall.
I couldn’t let the evening go by without dessert. So I whipped up this brownie for two. Delish!
I couldn’t resist giving a “tickle” to one of the restaurant’s door sentries. I liked his necklace!
I will someday write about my nightmares dreams last night but right now they are too fresh. No more Heradura shots for Cheryl. Have you ever been attacked by a spider riding a cricket!? 😱
Today hubby firmed up the details for our spot in the antique store. Now I am praying my jewelry is recieved well and that the things we put there wll sell. There is a festival coming up in two weeks. Wish me luck! I have been working pretty much non stop getting things ready.
What do you think of the collection? These aren’t all the best possible shots but you can get the idea what I will be presenting. And I am still working.
One of my custom hammered metal designs
No two pieces are ever alike!
There’s a lot of hours opin there
These are some of my favorites. I actually have a few of my own that I love wearing!
My son saupys this one is very Game of Thrones-ish
And the cherry on top of it all? I made homemade strawberry ice cream. It turned out so delicious. But, sadly, there were only strawberries to go on top. 🙊And drizzled chocolate. And whipped cream! The best part about being the cook? I get to scrape the Cuisinart freezer bucket. What a preview.
Let’s get out there and make it a great week. Remember, we can all use a little help from our friends, no matter how little they seem.
"I have enough time to rest, but I don't have a minute to waste". Come and catch me with your wise words and we will have some fun with our words of wisdom.
Dreaming Reality 
You must be logged in to post a comment.