Words of Kindness and Joy

 "Practice being awake." 

Bethany Lee recently spoke at my church and these very simple words got me to pay attention. Bethany has written several books of poetry and plays the harp most beautifully. She is a thoughtful young woman.

Thinking about being awake, what does that mean? Again I think it means to pay attention, "notice what you notice". I can't say it enough. When we are awake we see both the beauty and the sorrows of life. We feel. In feeling it can be painful, but if we pay attention it can also be a growing experience. Growing is good, Being awake is good.

Then laugh and love a lot!

Be joyful!

Sing!

I had lunch a couple days ago with my cousin and his wife. He is a bird person. So after lunch he drove us to one of his favorite places to sit and watch the birds. We weren't disappointed. There was an abundance of birds. He knows I like to notice nature; so he encouraged me to snap a few pictures. The middle picture particularly made me happy, as it also caught the reflections on the water. Isn't it fun when a simple snap of the phone camera makes you smile and feel joy?

 What is making your heart sing today?

Sending love,

Marilyn

This Week

Once a week I plan an adventure because if I don't my "live-in gardener"  and I get caught up with what needs to be done around the house and life becomes rather boring. Adventures are what make me happy. So last week I found a tearoom I hadn't been to and off we went. I had a bag of left over magazines from the tea festival to give them for their customers. So we had a treat of some yummy tea food and they got magazines.

 

And then on the home front I am diligently watching for ripe plums. Not quite ripe, but I am beginning to see a few with a purple blush appearing. I am so excited for fresh plums, my dehydrator is waiting in anticipation. 

 

And then, each summer I plan a special adventure for my grandson. Yesterday was the day!!

It was a Big Foot Excursion on a jet boat starting in downtown Portland, going along the Willamette River, then joining the Columbia River and east to Multnomah Falls. It was rather cold when we started, but as the day went along it became quite pleasant.

It is fun to play tourist for a few hours in our own city and to see the city and surroundings from a different view. There is a lot more shipping going on then I realized. This boat with the red cross is a floating Naval hospital. It is in dry dock being cleaned and serviced.

Here are some larger tour boats in downtown Portland. The bridge above is a walking bridge and for mass transit, but not for cars.

 I have seen Love along the river, but never at this angle.

And under a bridge we went. I think we went under about 10 bridges.

Another tour boat on the river. This one is often used for special events and weddings.

One of the docks we rode past with a restaurant that our tour guide recommended. The Columbia River actually divides Washington and Oregon states; so this was on the Washington side of the river. I will be checking the restaurant soon.

There was a lot of activity on the river.

Beautiful views everywhere too.

Not a great picture, but the mound on the top is called Crown Point. There are beautiful views from there, but rather windy standing out on that point.

All along the way we heard stories of Big Foot. Do you believe in them? After listening to stories for 3 hours I think there must be something to it. Hummmm?

And then we arrived at the half way point of the tour, Multnomah Falls. It was fun to see it from the river.

I would love living here and watching the river flow by each day.

All the large rocks and boulders have been formed from volcano eruptions in the past. In fact, the Columbia River was formed by volcanic flows through this gorge.

Here is another home tucked in the trees. I can dream, can't I?

A tug boat! Many years ago we had a friend that had stories of being the cook on such a tug boat. Up and down the river they go, usually pushing a barge.

I think my "live-in gardener" enjoyed the adventure.

Back in Portland. I could also imagine living here to watch the river's flow.

And under the bridges again.

And past downtown Portland.

My daughter holding the mold of Big Foots foot.

My grandson measuring his hand against a mold of Big Foot's hand.

 And home again to watch the Olympics.

Are you watching?

Wasn't the opening ceremony wonderful?

 

Have a terrific weekend, dear friends.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 Yes, I will share a story of Kindness and Joy; but thought just for your viewing pleasure I would include pictures along the beautiful Oregon Highway my "live-in gardener" and I traveled to Southern Oregon. We had never traveled on part of this highway and decided we wanted a bit of a detour just to see the beauty. It didn't disappoint.

Crater Lake in the middle of Mt. Mazama, a volcano which erupted many years ago forming this lake. One day this picture might pop up again as I think it would be fun to do a post on The Ring of Fire. There was still a little snow on the ground.

The story I really wanted to share today was a "pay it forward" sort of story. Every once in the while on Instagram I see these stories where someone is helped when they are struggling, how it changed their life and how they turn to help another.

I was raised by a single mom, my father removed himself from the family when I was two. Life was often a struggle for my mom. When I was in high school the electric company was threatening to turn our electricity off because my mom couldn't pay the bill. I remember being upset about it when someone from our church stopped by our home and gave my mother the money to pay the bill. Later when my mother offered to pay them back they said to pay it forward to help another. That made such a huge impact on me. I had never heard of that concept before. What an amazing heart of kindness. It changed how I thought of helping another without expecting anything in return.

Again I am reminded a smile, a hug or even a kind word can change someone's heart and make their day a better day.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Peony

" Generally symbolic of love, honor, happiness wealth, romance, and beauty, the peony is traditionally given on special occasions as an expression of goodwill, best wishes, and joy."

 

 

A peony getting ready to bloom in my garden this very morning.

 Greek mythology says that peonies stood for healing and were often put on burial sights. 

Peonies come in different shapes, sizes and colors.

My tree peony bloomed a month ago. Regular peonies are blooming now. All but the top flower were photographed at Adelman Peony Gardens near Salem, Oregon. It is quite a beautiful place to visit, even on a rainy day.

 

I came home with a bouquet of coral ones similar to these two. They lasted about a week in a vase and just sang to my soul. Fascinating that the last couples days they turned a soft yellow. They lost the sunshine in the color, but still shown beautifully.

The rain was coming down in buckets, but I just had to run to the field for a quick shot. It was magnificent, but very wet.

 

In the display gardens they married the peonies with both lupines and iris; quite a spectacular sight.

Hoping you have moments to stop and savor the glorious spring flowers around you.

Sending love,

Marilyn