Happy Springtime!

 

Time to wake up little one.

Look around you.

What do you see?

 

A pretty party dress awaits.

Spring is here.

Time to dance.

Green grows the grass and leaves.

It feels like they are bursting all around.

Sing like there is no tomorrow.

Spring is in the air.

Spring and a bit of bling go together so well.

Just take notice and keep on dancing.

We are in the pink.

Is there something hanging here that takes your fancy?

Rejoice, Celebrate, Dance, Laugh!

Happy Spring time, dear friends!

Sending love, Marilyn

*pictures taken today at my favorite spring show, Monticello Antique Marketplace.

Words of Kindness and Joy

 

 "Human Kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough."  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The gentleness of a soft spring blossom has the stamina that will bring summer fruit. As the blossom thrives, the bees come to pollinate and encourage the fruit tree to flourish.

May we flourish in the display of kindness with those around us. Sing in the sunlight, embrace each cloudy day and dance while sharing kindness all around us.

Sending love, Marilyn

Fickle Spring

Someone once said,
"The first signs of Spring make my heart sing."

Yes, it makes my heart sing.

When I drive in my neighborhood I wish I could have you all driving or walking along with me, enjoying the signs of springtime.

Daffodils and crocus appear every March, my birthday month, and I rejoice, laugh and sing at their appearance. These daffodils sit outside my window this very morning.

 

And on the first day of spring it was a balmy 70 degree day, I walked along the river enjoying the cherry blossoms.

 

I think others had the same idea. It was time to be outdoors savoring springtime.

 

These are all the blossoms I found on the first day of spring.

As I said in the heading, spring is "fickle".

One day it is 70 degrees and the sun is shining with a blue sky day.

The next day the clouds roll in and it is 50 degrees with the threat of sprinkles.

Visiting the market this week I couldn't resist walking through the garden center and coming home with a couple white geraniums, one parsley and one thyme for the herb garden too. Then there was also a lavender plant that jumped into my basket. Now I hope there is no more frost, but only sunshine and sprinkles. Oh those fickle days of springtime!

 

Raindrops on daffodils in my garden.

"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside 24 hours." —Mark Twain

Are you enjoying signs of spring in your part of the world?

Is it making your heart sing?

Sending love, Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 

 

 On Joy 

  In the Company of Women 

           

Make me laugh over coffee,

make it a double, make it frothy

so it seethes in our delight.

Make my cup overflow

with your small happiness.

I want to hoot and snort and cackle and chuckle.

Let your laughter fill me like a bell.

Let me listen to your ringing and singing

as Billie Holiday croons above our heads.

Sorry, the blues are nowhere to be found.

Not tonight. Not here.

No makeup. No tears.

Only contours. Only curves.

Each sip takes back a pound,

each dry-roasted swirl takes  our soul.

Can I have a refill, just one more?

Let the bitterness sink to the bottom of our lives.

Let us take this joy to go.

 by January Gill O'Neil

 

Since sometimes we just need to focus on JOY, today I am doing just that. Can you remember the last time you laughed with a friend so hard that you could hardly catch your breath? tears were running down your cheeks? May you be blessed with great laughter and delight each and every day.

Sending love, Marilyn

Winter Flowers

 "The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the Imagination." Terri Guillemets

Each day of the year I watch for flowers and color around me in nature. In winter I particular search for color, as it is such a joy when I find it. Out of curiosity I did a search online this week to see what would pop up for winter flower quotes. I loved what I found and the thoughts behind each quote. As I share the quotes I am also sharing the color in my pictures that I have found as we quickly approach the end of winter and the beginning of springtime. The flower above is in my garden. It is called Hellebore or Lenten Rose. It is one of the first flowers I find in my garden during the waning winter days.

 

 "The flowers of spring are winter's dreams related at the breakfast table of the angels." Kahlil Gibran

Camellias are beginning to bloom in my garden and here at Lan Su Chinese Gardens too.

 

I was amazed to find plum blossoms above and Daphne below at Lan Su Chinese Gardens too.

 

Do you think the gentlemen sitting in this garden are talking about finding winter color? We can only imagine?

 

"Some flowers can bloom in winter reminding of the tenderness that can conquer the cold harshness." Unknown

 

Daffodils have begun blooming in my garden.

 

"If flowers can teach themselves how to bloom after winter passes..........So can you." Noor Shirazia

 

Do you search for winter color?

Do you have flowers beginning to bloom around you?

Notice what you notice.

 

Sending love, Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

Sit awhile and have a cup of tea.

 What most inspired me to write this year about Kindness was viewing Steve Hartman's series on Kindness 101 on CBS and YouTube. He said that when sharing kindness, "their joy, that's the gift to you". I thoroughly enjoy seeing the joy in someone's face when sharing kindness. It is indeed a gift to me.

I encourage you to watch some of the series or all of it on YouTube. It will touch your heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1A58bZXaBM&list=PLJzm9BhU_wL9co3T1JYzfld3xtL3_kKnA&ab_channel=CBSMornings

 

Walk somewhere pretty and enjoy the day!

This is a short post today; so you have time to watch Steve Hartman and his kids on YouTube. Enjoy!!

Have a great week. Seek out kindness wherever you go.

Sending love, Marilyn

Strong Women

Yesterday was International Women's Day. 

Recently I had been thinking about strong women in my life, women I know that are strong. Now I don't necessarily mean that they lift weights and have strong muscles, but they are women that know themselves, speak out, and at the same time respect those around them. I have always been drawn to strong women and have wanted to emulate them, be them, and find my place in among them. I have met them in different parts of my world and observed them from afar. It makes my heart happy to see them move forward gracefully in a career, as a mother, as a political activist, a teacher, a single women, or a wife. I love that they speak up for women and speak out for equality and rights.

This is my friend, Diane. She amazes me with her strength. She is raising her two grandsons after her daughter was in a serious car accident. Each day she has her struggles, but rises above them to smile and be the strength needed for her family.

My daughter amazes me each day too. A strong single mom that works to keep food on the table and a roof over her and my grandson's head, plus goes to school where she will graduate in June with a Master's in Social Work.

This was my mom. She was a woman that her family called "the stupid one" and yet she raised two daughters to become good women, she prayed for us each day, she kept a clean house and she loved most dearly her family and her close friends.

Now I most often didn't think of my mother as a strong woman, but as I have become an older woman and looked back on my mother's life I realize she was exactly that. If she didn't believe in something or agree with something there was no way anyone could change her. She stood for what she believed. It might have been in silence, but there was no moving her. Some people might say she was stubborn, but now I believe she was being strong.

This is my dear friend, Annette. She also raised a beautiful son as a single mom, has fought for social justice and works for Habitat for Humanity. She is an amazing spokes person.

Here is me wearing the quote that I will end this post with. I love being a support for strong women and doing my best to be one too. Sometimes we don't see the virtual in ourselves as readily as we see them in others, but I try each day to be the strength I see in others.

 

I met Stephanie through blogging and have become dear, dear friends. She is one of my tea buddies; so yesterday we celebrated together over tea. We both have March birthdays, so part of the celebration was just celebrating us. Stephanie is a kind and gentle spirit that educates writing, meditation and diversity. I am so proud of the work she does.

 

I have met many women online and through the tea world and smile to see them speak up for what they believe. They may speak about world issues that touch their heart or injustice to a child. In my church there are women that stand for the rights of the indigenous, those who have had to leave their country because of political strife and those that genders are different than what they were born with. Each woman is different and in their strength let's their light shine. I love all the variations and colors each woman brings to the table.

 

Here's to strong women

May we Know them 

May we Be them

May we Raise them

Anonymous

 

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Sending love, Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

   Just a couple days ago as I was sipping my morning tea I was thinking "what would the world look like if everyone including world leaders showed kindness to each other?". I was picturing Putin saying only kindnesses to other world leaders and sitting together to enjoy a sip of tea or a glass of wine. There would be no need to migrate to another country because the country you lived in was kind and loving. What would the world look like? And then the song, Imagine by John Lennon, came to mind.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Ah

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

 

 

What was truly amazing is when I attended church yesterday morning this same song was sung by the congregation. It feels like many people around me are on the same wave length of imagining a better world.

Just imagining brings tears to my eyes. There is so much anger and hurt in the world, some days it is overwhelming. Let's show kindness wherever we can to make the world a little better place. 

 

I am sharing daffodils today with this post because "The daffodil symbolises rebirth and new beginnings. It's one of the first flowers to bloom at the end of winter, announcing the beginning of spring and signifying the end of the cold, dark days. Less commonly, daffodils may also symbols of creativity, energy, resilience, forgiveness and vitality". In imagining a better world I believe we can shine like the face of a daffodil, show kindness and joy to those around us.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Celebrating

As my "live-in gardener" and I have gotten older we realize we don't need gifts of things; so sometimes we give gifts of experiences. For his birthday this year I gave him a gift of a couple nights at the coast. I found a place that had a fireplace and view of the sea; so if it was too wintery we could sit inside by the fire, enjoy the view, sip tea and read. This week that is exactly what we did.

The view from our window.

On Wednesday we took a drive in the rain just to see the sea from different locations along the ocean highway.

Two lighthouses were on our radar; so we drove south from our motel. The first was at the south end of Newport, Oregon and the second was spotted on the way back north at the top end of Newport, Oregon.

The bridge over the bay in Newport, as seen from the first lighthouse.

OK, here is the second lighthouse, which I think is quite beautiful. It sits out on a bluff and I thought I would step out of the car to snap this picture. Let me tell you, I have never tried to stand in such a strong wind and pouring rain to take a picture. I almost blew away and had to hold onto the fence to do one snap. My hair was soaked and began it's curly adventure on top of my head. It was indeed quite an adventure for one picture.

The last morning before we left I actually spotted the first sign that there was blue sky behind those clouds. It was wild weather, winter weather indeed; but we loved it.

It does the spirit good to take a little adventure occasionally and this was both a gift for my "live-in gardener", but I benefited too.

Now there was one more stop before leaving the sea. There was a pod of food carts not far from our motel and I had found on Instagram one that announced it was crab season. I love crab, but hadn't had good crab for years. This particular food cart said they had crab rolls and who could resist if you love crab? So before we headed home we treated ourselves to the best crab roll ever. It was truly amazing. If you ever find yourself in Lincoln City, Oregon I highly recommend stopping at The Pines Dine food cart pod. This cart was Rook and Larder, but there were other amazing carts with all kinds of delicious looking food.

What a treat.

 Do you give gifts of experiences?

I highly recommend it. In fact, I like it so much I have begun giving my grandson gifts of experiences. For Christmas I got tickets to a play for he and his mom and they really enjoyed it. Then just because gift, I recently found tickets for them to go to another improv adventure with the Children's theater in town.

Well now it is Friday; so have a terrific weekend, dear friends!

Sending love,

Marilyn