Second Wind leisure Perspectives has given me a fun challenge as most of my flowers are some variation of mustard or yellow. I have posted many pictures of my wonderful sunflowers but there are a wide variety of others yellows shining their happy yellow faces.
Hope you enjoy the collection below and share in the happiness yellow brings to the garden.
Remember in all that you do, be happy like yellow flowers and be kind to all things.
While taking this rainy day to clean out closets, I ran across some shoes I have not worn in a couple of years…and they needed posting. Thank you Cee for allowing us to share fun memories. Today we have changed purple and white shoes to black and white…but the memories are still full of color.
Remember whether in black and white or full color, kindness is always beautiful color.
For whatever reason, this spring seems to be dragging it’s butt. In reality it is probably just me, as I am so ready to be outside and working in my flowers. And the seeds planted in the small pots for the community garden are well on their way of needing to be in the ground real soon.
Today we had more rain…with snow mix…tomorrow more rain but maybe a hint of sunshine. I honestly think spring is close. I now see the robins in my yard. A sure sign for me.
Its not a real clear picture…but neither is spring. So onward we go. Then in two and a half months we will be complaining of being hot. I heard an old man say one time that there are three stages of life – you are born, you pay taxes and then you die. How sad is that? I was born in the last century, I paid 2021 taxes yesterday, so all I have left is death???
Guess that old man doesn’t know me that well. I just got started and have yet to dance…so dance we must. And as the breeze flows gently through the air we dance in its currents…
While these have not broken through the ground yet, I look forward to their dance. I planted them last year so hopefully they will dance with me this year. Just a note to remind you while things may seem dreary, you can always dance. Some may laugh, some shake their heads but all will smile. What a great excuse to dance in life.
Have a safe and blessed weekend. Laugh, dance, smile and ALWAYS be kind.
Here in the US, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. A day set aside to be thankful for all we have. The first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621, was a celebration of the harvest between the early Americans and the Indians. We celebrate it today with loud and busy families and way too much food.
As with all holidays, an element of sadness can occur when we focus too much on the physical aspects of our surroundings and not enough on “the heart of the matter”. Some families may have very little to share physically but love and kindness is a free component that carries more value that all the turkeys eaten on this day.
For all of us, let us remember to give thanks for the bounty of this day. And in all things be kind. If your bounty is very small, give thanks for what you do have and in all things be kind. Giving thanks is choice of the heart. We can look around us and be sad for the things we wish we had or we can praise God in all things, being thankful for what we do have. So I challenge you on this day of thanks to be Thankful for in all things and the world will suddenly begin to look much brighter.
May you have a blessed thankful day and as always remember to be kind in all things.
There are many things that happen in our life that make us smile, bring us joy, make us chuckle and sometime make us laugh out loud. I think the current techno symbol is LOL – regardless I bring you some laughter. But to fully understand you must first understand the subject at hand.
In life, there is the purity of a child’s laughter that can make even the hardest old goof at least grin and for some of us, we laugh along with the child – even if we don’t know the child. A smile or chuckle will come from us at this simple form of purity.
Laughter is a medicine we all need from time to time which can sometimes get us out of our dulldromes. But some of us have 4-legged children that really make us laugh due to their antics. Last night my daughter was able to have her phone in hand when this happened and we both laughed about it. For those who don’t know much about basset hounds, they have a high energy spurt that lasts for about 5 minutes and then it is abruptly gone…sometimes for several hours. This is Max…
If you didn’t know better, his bark would sound like he was going to eat you alive. When I was growing up, my mother had one and her bark scared off a German shepherd that made the mistake of coming in our yard. But some will have to get up first, as many wont even bother as they lay there ferociously barking.
Last night Max was playing with his ball, bring it back to his mom for her to throw it again. We are not talking about a long distance throw but still…
Even though he was done, he was not giving up the ball…plus there is no one that would want it’s wet slobbery thing anyway. I know that many of you have pets that make you laugh in much the same way, so share your pets with us as well. We all need as much laughter as possible. And as always I remind you to be kind, this too can make someone smile.
I encourage you as you start this day to be strong and confident with Christ at your side. Do not worry over yesterday but let Him hold your hand and guide you safely through this day.
And in all you do remember the value of kindness. When you show kindness to others it lights a light inside you to share with others you meet along the day. Shine strong.
Coming from the southern states of the US, we have a different idea on taste I think that most states as it seems to be more of a “foody” area than other states I have lived in. Now that I am in the midwest, I am not seeing the taste variety. Cee has challenged us this week for the sense of taste and tasting is a high sensory in my book.
My lunch of leftover BBQ chicken legs, corn and peas from last was pretty tasty and now I are going to top it off with homemade pound cake covered in blueberries with whipped cream. Mmmmm.
Can you add too much whipped cream…maybe… if you use the entire container on one item.
Some people prefer the “fru-fru” food as I call it, where it is prettier to look at and not much quantity. Not me. I want rib sticking food with good flavor and plenty of it.
Or if you want it all running together, that’s okay too, especially for breakfast.
But regardless of your favorite dishes, while food is for sustenance, it must also be tasty and enjoyed. It brings about conversations at mama’s house. So while you are savoring thoughts of you favorite dishes, remember to think on kindness. Kindness is needed now to help strengthen out hope through this current crisis.
Who besides me loves refrigerator magnets? I have many but love my smiley face ones. Recently I had to replace my refrigerator and the stuff that was all over my fridge fill a Walmart plastic bag. Sad. My fridge was suffocated by my stuff. Not all was junk, some was grandkid pictures, neat magnets of places I had been, thought provoking pictures and cartoons and etc.
We go in and out of our fridges multiple times a day so its a place that sometimes collects our happy thoughts. I know my does. Although I did clean up the new fridge a bit, after all, the grandbabies are now in school and no longer babies. It is now in a purposeful order, heart on the front, smiles on one side and important business card and data on the other side.
Picture of me that was in the paper when I face painted for the kids park, precious pictures of dogs that show their heart, magnets my daughter cross stitched for me, and important reminders.
One side shows my two favorite B.C. cartoons, the all important recipe for instant mash potatoes because the box itself was destroyed and the potato flakes ended up in a plastic container and an reminder from a meeting at church on showing kindness. The other side show business cards for repairmen.
My refrigerator has become my visual communication board helping me to remember some appointment stuff while reminding me the important heart reminders of caring, kindness and ways to smile.
Does your fridge talk to you? Share of you like, its part of who we are.
As my fridge reminds me to smile and be kind, I also remind you to smile and be kind. You never know how that kind gesture may just change someone world.
My morning devotion spoke to me today and so I am sharing my thoughts with you. When God was first laying down the foundational rules in Exodus, he told the people he was a jealous God and to worship no other God’s but him.
In today’s world, we often sugar coat the gentleness and kindness of God and forget his powerful being – the ultimate rule maker, the mighty Father. We don’t want to believe he will ever punish us, we don’t want him being something we fear because fear is a negative aspect. God is never negative, right? Do you read the same old testament that I read? How many people were killed by the command of God. Why would you worship a being that does that? Be cause he loves me! And people forget that and lose his love.
When Joshua first invaded Canaan, the first town on agenda for God was Jericho. Jericho, who many many generations ago, forgot who God was now going to be punished for forgetting. So God tells the people to walk around the walled city and then come back to camp. The people – the entire nation of Israel – just walking around the massively walled city. So let’s think about that a minute. You are an Israelite, and God says you will conquer the land. How is walking around the city conquering the land. I am sure there were some in that group that were think, “what? is this how we are conquering?” And I am sure the people of Jericho, who were originally shaking in their boots with fear hearing all the stories of the Red Sea parting and the destruction of the Egyptian army, were wondering “what is this, why are we scared of this?” Evidently none of them knew the song called Trust and Obey.
Then on the 7th day, the walls miraculously just fell down. Walls that had been standing as a fortress for hundreds of year…just fell. And all the people of Jericho, all the people, were killed. Trust and Obey, for there is no other way….
In Sarah Young’s devotional Jesus Calling for July 11, she reminded us that today’s false gods are out of the realm of religion. Those of us who are practicing the Christian religion have a tendency to get complacent, especially here in the US. And sometimes that complacency can turn us to worshiping other things than God. Oh, it was not our intention and there may not be a physical thing we have set up in our home we bow down to, but any thing that gets in the way of our worship of God can easily become an idle; our jobs, more money, and a big one is our TIME.
24 hours in a day x 7 days = 168 hours, 168 hours in a week x 52 weeks = 8736 hours, 52 Sundays x 1 hour = 52 hours. Not sure 52 hours out of 8736 hours show a good representation of loving our God. How many hours do you spend with your friends doing fun stuff. If you spend an average of 5 hours a week doing fun stuff that is 260 hours, you see where I am going here. God does not want you to not enjoy going and doing fun stuff. He created a lot of fun stuff for you to do. He just wants to go with you. He wants to be part of your everyday, to share your highs, not just coming when the moments are low.
So as you go about your day, everyday, ask Him to come along smile with him at the funny ‘coincidences’ that seem to happen and realize – “I know that was You God.” And as you smile with him, remember to be kind like him.
Those who read my post know that I push kindness. There have been many a boiling cauldron that has been extinguished by kindness showing a better way to resolve a hot mess.
This summer, I have been hired by the city to participate in the park parties that they will have in various parts of the city, a total of 7 parties. There was live music, food vendors, games setup, the city officials were there to answer any question people may have and even the library people were there setup explaining about their summer program. Then there was me, the face painter – hey we made the newspaper. Cool.
I have been face painting since early 2000s and do it more for the fun of it than to make money. Don’t get me wrong, you can make some serious money if you get real good but that is not my focus. I charge enough to buy more paint because I buy the professional stuff which isn’t cheap, but safer to use.
If you see that yellow paper behind my young model, those are the 6 faces I would paint for this particular party. They will change each party. This model is getting a jaguar face. They really don’t care how great it is, they just want to play – so lets play. I will post some periodically through the summer so you can see how much fun we are having.
OK, so there is a story behind the title and I am getting there. This neighborhood is close to my church so I am familiar with some of the kids as I have done other functions at this park. There is a home of mentally and physically challenged that we have done things with so I knew some of the guys(adults) that were in line to get their face painted. The first guy came in and could talk real well and wanted the 3 horned dinosaur. He loved it and I chuckled with him as he laughed in the mirror. The next guy was in a wheel chair but could walk a little. So they got him up and helped him get into the face paint chair. His right arm was drawn in and not usable but his left arm was good and with that arm he pointed to his shirt. He had on a power ranger shirt. I don’t like doing the super heroes as they are BORING in face paint but for him, sure. So we did the red power ranger. He could not speak but could hear and understand very well and he was super excited on how well his face looked. He tapped his chest in a gesture of him loving it and I patted his hand and told him I was glad, and he smiled. They got him back in his chair and I went to the next child. But before I could get started good, I heard the guy from the wheel chair come beside my booth. His caretaker said “He wants you to have his star.” I asked her if he had made it and she said yes and showed me all the things he carried with him that he had made. I almost cried. I told him thank you and to come back to see me. Here is the star.
My whole point in this post is to remind everyone to never pass on an opportunity to be kind and gentle. No small act of kindness is ever wasted. I have always believed this but this was an opportunity where God affirmed just how much kindness matters. So always be kind.
For the Love of 