Category: Beauty in life

Cycle of Life, FOTD

Cee’s fun Flower of the Day prompt challenges us all to see the beauty on nature. My post today takes this a step further in showing the cycle of life in a day lily. They are called day lilies as their bloom last only a day to a day in a half but the life cycle of that bloom is well over a week if not two.

The Life Cycle

The life cycle is not long for those like me

for we start very small as you can see.

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My siblings and I, we number at six

On the same long shoot that looks like a stick.

With each passing day we grow to our size

Stretching our pods with goals to maximize.

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The sun is so warm and helps us to grow

We all hope to open and put on a show.

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Some of us grow slow and some grow fast

But the life of our bloom is one that wont last.

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First bloom of the season

The life cycle is short, but shed not a tear

For behold we will come back year after year.

For those of us who so enjoy your flowers, it does get sad at the end of the season when they go to sleep or die. But we are renewed in hope knowing when spring returns they also will return.

Enjoy the beauty, love and peace of flowers and remember to share their beauty and kindness with others as they share theirs with you.

kind beauty

 

 

 

Reach for the Light

Photo by Cee Neuner

The Love of the Light

I have but one day to live, that is all I can give

As I stretch out my petals with stiffness like metal

My stamens stand tall, reaching for the bright ball

As my life shines in light, a journey worthy to fight

For we come to this light, with hopes of it’s great might

Carelessly spending our life, without regard to any strife

If we waste the beauty of great light, we will live in the darkness of the deep night

Beauty can create emotionless gall, for petals will wither before they fall

Enjoy the beauty of the great light, soak up its warmth before it comes night

I have but one day to live, that is all I can give.

Anita Neal

Check out Cee’s post to see the other flowers she took while playing with her camera and remember the beauty of nature around us. As beauty of nature makes you smile, remember the kindness of the smile comes for you and share that kindness with others.

Flower kind4

Thursday Photo Challenge, Silver

We Will Stand Firm

I stand and stare at the silvery pool that was left by the outgoing tide. The beauty of its simplicity is in stark contrast to the darkness surrounding it and the menacing sky above as the storm moves on to other lands. This seems reflect my life for now, small pools of silvery beauty while the remainder of life storms all around me. A cold threatening darkness with winds of change that threaten to blow me down. But yet I remain standing, breathing, as I take in this silvery beauty of hope.

I am reminded of the power of strength given from above that helps us stand firm through all storms of life. God’s outstretched hand is ever present, ever guiding, and ever comforting. He reminds us all though his word – “I will never leave you” – and this encouragement gives us the strength, the determination and the hope to remain looking at the silvery pool even though the storm of life may rage around us. 

We will stand firm.

Sue Vincent’s weekly challenge is a great way to put words to pictures with writephoto prompt. Come along and join in on the fun and stretch your imagination along with the rest of us.

For visually challenged writers, the image above shows a beach in the half-light, bounded by dark dunes and holding a silvery pool of water that mirrors the sky.

As you take in the beauty of life as it surrounds you, remember to always be kind. Kindness has a beauty that far surpasses the darkness that may be around you.

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What do you see #34

The Sapphire Butterfly

The brightness of the full moon as it sneaks through the trees

Breaks open the cocoons of these sapphire blue beauties

Their life span is short, lasting only the cycle of the moon

Leaving much to do, for their time will end too soon. 

If you are lucky enough for one to light softly on your fingers

You then will have a chance of wishing while it lingers

For once the wish is proclaimed and the butterfly is set free

It flies off to the Spirit where all wishes will come to be.

Anita Neal

This is a fun Monday prompt that Sadje is sponsoring and since I am a fan of butterflies, I just had to play along. Come join along with What do you see? and tell us what all you see.

And remember as with the beauty of nature, the beauty of kindness can also bring an inspiring moment. Try to always be kind.

kindness butterfly

 

Photo a Week Challenge: Fleeting

Sometimes when you get in a position where you see the fragility of the world, you realize just how fleeting life is. Nancy Merrill has challenged us to use a photo with the idea of Fleeting. So I give you my ideas on fleeting and hope you enjoy.

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Me when I was 6 or 7

You really don’t realize how fast life goes until all of a sudden you are knocking on 70’s door. And then watching your babies have babies…they don’t stay babies long with the oldest headed to college this fall.

Three of the 7….

But we also are challenged with a new life as we know it which is not only fleeting but a bit scary…

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It will pass, not my picture but thought it needed posting

And we cant leave out the beauty of nature and even scripture reminds us the fragility and fleeting of it stating the grass will fade and the flowers will wither. But for now lets enjoy the beauty of spring.

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Lemon Slice Calibrachoa

And since life is fleeting, all the more reason to be kind. Kindness is a true reflection of our soul.

Even though kindness is what is most often remembered about us by ...

 

Beauty In Life, SMM

Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine has a Monday post of macro photography, and while I only have my cell phone, it does a pretty decent job. Since my state is “shelter in place” we are not out and about but after the spring snow from last night, about 2 inches, I just had to walk around the block. It was early and no one much was out but the distinct sound of the wood peckers tat-tat-tat could be heard as it echoed through the quiet morning. The first couple of pictures follow the “macro” theme but I am also including the beauty I saw this morning of the naked trees draped in the graceful beauty of white as they stretch their limbs toward heaven, something we need to do as well in this time of challenge and sadness. May you all be safe during this time.

Hope you enjoy a few of the 40+ pictures I took from this best kind of snow – beauty with clear streets – not that I am going anywhere…

 

 

 

Hill up 36th

And as always, remember the beauty of life, even in dark times. There is always a silver lining even though it may be too small to see – it can be felt.

Isaiah encouragement

The Fun We Expect & Beauty Too, SoCS

Linda G Hill challenged us to write something for Stream of Consciousness Saturday with words including ect, so here we go….

The exceptional subject matter photographers use here on WordPress are an amazing way to enjoy the perfect beauty of this world we live in – even with all of it disrespectful ugliness.  So today I post some respectful beauty from bloggers here, one I respectfully downloaded. I expect you to at least enjoy the picture if not the short notes.

Foggy Sunrise
Photo by  Irene Tron of Heaven’s Sunshine

Fog

Like smoke

Fills the forest

In the eerie morning

Quiet

 

Jez Sunrise
Photo By Jez Braithwaite of Jez Photos

Dawn

Brightly emerges

On open sea

To start a new

Day

Altoona
From FaceBook of Lake Altoona in Georgia

Beautiful

Orange sky

At day’s beginning

To help us enjoy

Life

And in all things remember the value of kindness and let it fall expectantly from you.

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Fandango’s Friday Flashback

Fandango asks   “Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year?”

I have many photographers I follow and Irene is one of my favorites. She posted this picture, then I posted it again and wrote a poem about it. I actually had two posts on this day but this one got the most likes so I hope you also enjoy it or remember it.

Fun With Poetry

As I play with my blog, I enjoy what others say, write and photograph. Today I saw a photograph that so inspired me that I thought again I would write about it. I have done this in the past and it is relaxing to me. After the wonderful day of 48 degrees (before it plummets back to single digits) I was able to get out and enjoy the sun so I think more fun is good thing to do. Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine takes lovely and fun pictures of nature and things around nature and today she posted a Leafy Heart. Do drop by her blog and enjoy her photographs. So below are my words to go with Irene’s Leafy Heart.

Leafy Heart
The Leafy Heart / The Autumn Leaf

The Autumn Leaf

The audible sigh of the leaf in fall as it begins to die

 Drops slowly from trees above like tears when you cry

We wait for them all winter as they quietly rest and sleep

Popping out at spring and stretching to soak up warmth so deep

As summer comes in to brighten their worth, they create abundant shade

For we sit and rest under them and block the heat that is made.

As changing season turns again once more to cooler fall

The leaves display their dying hues that are admired by one and all

The leaf hangs tight to its dear life as long as it possibly can

But winds of fall will toss them down to be crushed by steps of man

As other lives rush over them when preparing their own winter deeds

A spider crawls around them to see if there is anything he needs

But alas he leaves as nothing was found for him of the leaf to give

And he heads towards home and other things in hopes of his life to live.

                  -Anita Neal-

 

And always in closing I remind all of the extraordinary value of kindness and how if we can share that kindness with others, even when we don’t feel like it,  that may be the only kindness shared with that one person on that day.

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