catnipoflife

Observe life at its best, Listen to life’s songs, Embrace life’s bounties, Breathe the breath of life, Savor life to its fullest!

Inspiration: Solace in Winter

Photo Credit: Marilyn Armstrong @Serendipity

Photo Credit: Marilyn Armstrong @Serendipity

How do you greet Winter—

Bitter, drab and dreary
Frosty sights and sounds
Anything but cheery…

 A silent ghostly presence
Chilling to the bone
Outwardly uninviting
Wishing it ‘Be gone!’?

Br-r-r-r-r is the sound
Silvery is the sight
From dawn to dusk
Bitterness through the night

This hoary side to Winter
Is that all there is to see
A shroud of dreariness
Heaviness of heart to be?

Solace in Winter
Restores warmth to the very soul
Lifting up heavy hearts
As magical moments unfold

catniplogosm1©2014 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

Yes, indeed, Winter brings chills to the bone but with it comes extraordinary beauty, grace and even a sense of magic. For those encountering snow, early, early morning reveals a new dusting of silvery white from Nature’s paintbrush swishing over, under, around and through everything in sight. Ice-glazed water glistens in the daylight as tiny birds peck away for a single droplet. The gracefulness of snowflakes whirl and twirl around and around floating effortlessly, landing softly one atop another. Person after person stroll in the midst, bundled up like Eskimos, giggling as the cold bites each nose and resemble the main characters within a magical snow globe scene.

Of course, we know there is a flip side to the coin depicting this scene. Whipping winds, fast-falling stinging snow, blizzard warnings, subzero wind chills do not seem so inviting. Shoveling snow, scrapping windshields, steering away from snow banks, donning three to four layers of clothing are commonplace when treks outdoors must be made.

Regardless of the coin’s side, there is solace in Winter that touches the soul even in its coldest moments…

Where do you find solace in Winter?

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It’s therapeutic!

Water: Vital to life. Drink it in: Thirst quenching. Play in it: Fun.

 And, it’s therapeutic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctJJrBw7e-c

Do you enjoy water this much?

6 Comments »

Radio Interview

Tomorrow Sharla Shults, the author of Echoes, Remembering and Awakenings, will be interviewed by Brian T. Shirley on Kinetic HiFi radio at 4:30 PM (EST). In Brian’s own words, “I’m a stand-up comedian who’s been touring the U.S., Canada and The Bahamas for nearly twenty years. I love making people laugh and now I can do it without being in the room.”

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Join us live 1/8/2014, 4:30 PM (EST)!
http://www.kinetichifi.com/bts/
http://www.kinetichifi.com/bts/
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BTS Radio Show
 
Hosted by Brian T. Shirley

Kinetic HiFi is an online radio station in Charleston, South Carolina dedicated to bringing back the COMMUNITY.

 The BTS Radio Show will take listeners on a trip through the best in
comedy and music that rarely gets airplay. The goal of the show is to
entertain people with music, comedy, interviews and trivia. A majority
of the comedy clips and music played on the BTS Radio show will not be
heard on mainstream radio. Come on a vacation from 4-6 PM EST every
Wednesday where there’s no politics and no B.S., just BTS. 
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Don’ forget! Bookmark this page! Set your calendar notification to…

Join us live 1/8/2014, 4:30 PM (EST)!

4 Comments »

Awakenings: Busy Buzzin’ Bees

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: January 4, 1896

Utah, the Beehive State

Utah was Mexican territory when the first pioneers arrived in 1847. It became the 45th state admitted to the union on January 4, 1896. Great slideshow dedicated to the state of Utah.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Visit Awakenings for the special poetry and great slideshow of the state of Utah.

See on www.awakenings2012.blogspot.com

10 Comments »

Awakenings: Wolf in the Wilderness

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

Alaska’s nickname is The Last Frontier. The state motto of Alaska is North to the Future, which was adopted in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centennial. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.

This Day in History: January 3, 1959 Alaska is in the farthest northwest extremity of the North American continent. It was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million, which equates to approximately 2 cents per acre. Alaska became the 49th state in the USA on January 3, 1959.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Awakenings features poetry for Alaska – Wolf in the Wilderness. Alaska is the wolf in the wilderness — loyalty among her own within an affectionate, playful nature.

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

4 Comments »

Sometimes plan, sometimes just wing it!

Sometimes_PlanAll too often life demands planning. Schedules must be outlined, then followed. Events have to be arranged whereby timing is critical, every ‘i’ dotted, every ‘t’ crossed. The planning relies on hope that the pendulum will swing in the right direction so everything falls right into place. It is impossible to meet the demands of daily life without the need for prior planning at some point in time. In laying those plans, it is also wise to remain mindful that the best laid plans can crumble as easily as a flaky biscuit.

Plans are made to be broken, by you or someone else. Plans may not happen, especially when you want them the most. Plans could easily swing in the opposite direction than intended. Yet, often enough for something to work out, it has to be planned.

How many times have you made plans to never see them materialize? For me, it seems if I plan it, I am extending an open invitation for it NOT to happen. Inevitably something is going to intervene. Timing is just not right. Gray skies appear across the horizon. Someone does not feel well. There is an unexpected knock on the door. The telephone rings…

john-lennon-lifeIs it necessary to plan everything, live by a stringent schedule every day, plan from one moment to the next? All that time busying oneself trying to plan right down to the minute might possibly be put to better use. Depends upon the situation, of course. Remember, the key is to sometimes plan. Couldn’t the schedules be set aside, an event postponed, thus causing the pendulum to swing in a different direction? A direction totally unplanned…in other words, don’t always plan, sometimes just…

Wing_It

Combine spontaneity with imagination… Embrace the creative possibilities!

5 Comments »

Awakenings: Georgia On My Mind

Georgia_State_Flag

State Flag of Georgia

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: January 2, 1788

Georgia, the Peach State, aka the Empire State of the South

Georgia was the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. It was established in 1732 and named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

When you hear someone speak of Georgia, what comes to your mind? The song or good ol’ Southern Peach Cobbler? Yum on that succulent cobbler!

Read the excerpt from Awakenings, Savannah’s Secrets

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

2 Comments »

Awakenings: Book Review & Promotion

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

CLICK Book Review & Promotion to go to the discussion thread.

 New Year’s Day, everyone! It has been nearly a year since the release of my book, Awakenings from Then ’til Now.  You might ask “What is Awakenings about?” I would answer “What does it mean to be an American?”

Awakenings allows you to embark on a journey spanning five centuries of America’s awakening that identifies who you are and ultimately defines your future. It provides a manner to seek understanding through inspiring quotes from influential men and women in history as well as poetry.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

I am asking for your support while I participate in an INDIE BOOK REVIEW & PROMOTION.

Click the icon @ Awakenings and please Like and leave a Comment. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for all who desire to support my writing.

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

8 Comments »

Do you put pork on your fork?

Awakenings, catnipoflife‘s sister site, featured a post about New Year’s traditions related to meal time, Did you Put Pork on Your Fork?. It seems pork is the traditional meat for various reasons, outbidding chicken and turkey, on this first day of the New Year. I really have a problem with the pork-eating business. Sure it tastes good and what better flavor is there anywhere other than bacon? It’s not the taste. Not even the fact it is a fatty, extremely fatty, meat. Then, why? You might ask. It is simply that the little piggies are just so darn cute! See for yourself…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For your added enjoyment…

Don’t leave yet. Here’s one more…

Is that not cute or what? For MORE little piggies, click HERE!

Don’t forget to visit Awakenings!

6 Comments »

2013 in Review

2013 presented itself with many ups and downs. Yet, we survived! Hubby and I are enjoying a quiet evening in celebration of all the blessings received, especially during his illness. Thank you to my virtual family for being here thoughtfully and prayerfully supporting both of us. The visits, especially the comments, have been entertaining and inspirational.

Looking forward to moving ahead in 2014! Blessings to all and Happy New Year!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 21,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

6 Comments »