A Snowy Day!

 

My view just yesterday across my little patio.

The Snowy Day is a 1962 American children's picture book by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. It features Peter, an African American boy. It was written to encourage everyone to slow down and notice the small things in life, something I try to do here on this blog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmZCQfeWjeQ&ab_channel=EJKFoundation

As a white man, Esra Jack Keats was one of the first to write a children's book with multi-cultural children. His book has been banned recently because of that. When my children were young, Ezra Jack Keats, was a favorite author of theirs and visited their school on author's day.

 

This morning and last evening, sights of snow from my window. Many have walked their dogs past my window and I love seeing them out enjoying the snowy day.

 

Sending love and warmth on this Valentine's day. Hoping you are warm and cozy, tucked inside on this snowy day. Now I must sip some tea.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 A dear friend shared this prayer with me recently and I thought it would be worth sharing with you. It fits so well with what I try to share each week, to make sure we notice those small things, the everyday things. As I settle into my new home I am once again beginning to notice those little things. I find it is time to pull out the calendar and set dates with friends for a cup of tea or an adventure. It's time to go for walks and "notice what I notice".

I am noticing the small lights and glimmers when out in the evening light. Light is capturing my hearts as I focus on HOPE. But I am also noticing the earth is struggling to come alive once more and sing to our hearts.

 

 Dear God,

All I can think to say this morning, is please guide my attention to that which is worthy of it.

When I am overwhelmed by everything that has to get fixed in this broken down world, show me what is MINE to do then please give me the strength to do it and the humility to rest afterwards.

Open my eyes to behold that which is hopeful and lovely and to know that the terrifying and malicious will always be there and that looking away for a moment is not callus, it’s calculating.

Guide my attention to that which is worthy of it: making art, cooking food, loving people, noticing birds, petting dogs, contacting friends, and doing the work that is mine to do.

And when I am scrolling through meaningless videos, once again wasting more precious moments on this Earth than I realize, snap me out of it, Lord and help me just go for a walk or something.

In your holy name,

Amen.

Nadia Bolz-Weber 

 Sending love and peace in this crazy world,

Marilyn

 

Trees

 

 

 

Yesterday I again walked through the garden at my house. I wanted some pictures of "the tree" in the backyard. The character of this old tree is amazing. In places it looks like it is pregnant. There are holes where critters live or have lived. It has a history of bees, birds, squirrels and raccoons.

Trees – by Joyce Kilmer

written in 1913

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 

My mother loved poems and this is one I remember her sharing with me. Trees sends a strong message against deforestation. It highlights how trees are important to all living creatures. The poet says that if trees are cut, then there will be no shadow, no forest, and no shelter for the birds and insects. Trees planted throughout a city can lower the temperature by several degrees. Trees intrigue me with their different shapes and character. I love painting them when doing my small watercolors.

 

 

Scrolling through the past few months of pictures on my phone I see plenty of trees. I love noticing trees around me. One thing I enjoy even in my apartment now is looking out and seeing trees. I am a "tree hugger" for sure. Thankfully here in Oregon many others love trees too. Do you have trees surrounding you? Are you a "tree hugger"? I hope so!

 Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

Elizabeth Bunson is an artist I follow on social media. Recently she had a series called "focus on the glimmers".  That thought has stuck with me as I focus on HOPE this year.

What does it mean to focus on the stars or glimmers of light? The joys and kindness, civility. The glimmers of hope in a dark world whether it is something beautiful or a person's smile. Let's surround ourselves with beauty in this dark world. We are worth savoring a beautiful cup of tea, a sunrise or sunset, a rainbow, a flower at the market or a kind word spoken.

Bright shiny red on my toes makes me smile.

Pretty things at the antique mall. Oh, do you see that light?

 

Silly smiles from my daughter.

Flowers in anyone's garden.

 Let's join hands together each and every day. Focus, focus, focus and see the glimmers of hope, let the light shine.

 

Sending love,

Marilyn

Some Days

 As I sit in reflection over my tea this morning, I am enjoying the little bouquet I picked at my house in the garden just yesterday. I am reminiscing on the day just yesterday. Some days are just like this, but it wasn't just an ordinary day. It was time of goodbyes.

Yesterday I walked through the house that I had lived in for 22 years. Where did all that stuff come from? Wow! There is a lot waiting for buyers tomorrow to carry away little and not so little treasures. I feel like I moved a lot, but yet there is so much left behind.

I was their care taker for awhile. Now someone else can enjoy them.

 

 

I saw a cookbook waiting for someone to buy and realized there was only one recipe in the book I enjoyed; so I photographed it to still have.

Estate sales are fascinating me now. The company actually brought in some more stuff just to make it look full; though most of it was our stuff. The pricing fascinated me and I could tell the person doing the sale knew his stuff. My antiques were priced appropriately.

Can you believe it, but after walking through all the stuff in my house I took myself off to the antique mall. It is my peaceful place. It's not where I necessarily buy, but love taking pictures. And who did I run into, but the guy doing our estate sale. I knew he had several booths there, but didn't expect to see him.

I love the displays of live plants at the mall.

Isn't it beautiful?

Then I came back to the house for another walk in the garden and to pick a small bouquet to enjoy on my tea table this morning.

In the bouquet is a camellia bud and daphne buds, plus a bit of rosemary and tea to sweeten the deal. To me it is a lovely bouquet of remembrance and love for the garden. I will miss the garden more than the house.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

Victor Hugo, Les Miserables 

About all the energy I have to share at the moment is Monday's post, but hopefully next month I can share more. My "live-in gardener" (now I need a new name for him) and I are still digging out of our house. It was a rough week this past week and still we have more to do. Much to our surprise,while trying to get our son dug out of our basement (still going on) my husband ended up in the hospital for a day and a night with a kidney stone. So a lot of the moving and cleaning went to me. I cleaned up some of the yard and kept my son moving forward, plus some dear, long time friends came one morning and helped move some furniture to our son's apartment. How amazing those little thoughtful gifts of help have been. They are like glimmers of hope. Hope that very soon it will be finished. Friends and our daughter have been our stars.

I took a few walks in the garden and was amazed at what is waking up.

The daffodils are coming up.

 The hellabore are budding and the daphne is beginning to bud.

 

I think what I will miss most are my walks in the garden.

This week the estate sale team will be working in the house and my husband, son, and sometimes me will still be in the basement working too. Then in one week the real estate team takes over. Yes, there is a light, at least a glimmer, at the end of the tunnel.

Are you seeing any glimmers of Hope/light in these dark times? I hope so!

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

Thich Nhat Hanh 

He says the best things that capture my attention and help me to hold on to that HOPE.

Just a flash back to a Joey picture.
 

When I saw this quote using my word for the year, HOPE, I knew today was the day I needed to share it. HOPE chose me because I just knew it was going to be a "difficult to bear" kind of year and for me I needed to hold on to HOPE. We must all "believe that tomorrow will be better".

Let's dream a little dream of a better day.

A day where the lights shine for each of us, the little glimmers that grow into the sunshine and warmth that holds us in the sparkles of light and flowers and gently rolling seashores. 

What I am watching today, puppies and kittens and a fund raiser for the Humane Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICFiwn3-SOA&ab_channel=MeidasTouch    

 

I love pink noses on kittens. This is Frankie, my daughter's cat.

And since it is Martin Luther King Junior's birthday today, let's end with a quote by him.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

"Light is Knowledge, Light is Life"

I am not sure where I read the above quote, but it is a good one.

Light is focusing on hope, hold onto it with all we have, and don't let go.

Right before we moved I wanted to have lunch at a restaurant near our house. As I stepped out of the car I saw HOPE in the window of this children's shop. And then the book behind the window was "Climb the Mountain". I knew the move would be like struggling up the mountain, but from the top we would see new horizons. I needed to hold on to HOPE for sure. I needed to focus on the little glimmers of light.

 

 

And then as I was parked in a "NO PARKING" spot waiting to pick up the truck to move, I looked up and saw HOPE once again.

We made it to today. As I sip my morning tea and peak out the window I dream of hanging pictures on the walls and making this sweet little apartment HOME. There are glimmers of the finish line, but still more to do. For today I will keep my eyes on the stars.

Sending love,

Marilyn