I would add #32: Find time to meditate and be thankful.
What would you add?
Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it.
~ Sai Baba (Indian Leader, 1838-1918)
Get ready, grab your sides and ENJOY...
Laugh today for you do not know what tomorrow brings! That's life... ~catnipoflife
Life is a Journey
Today I needed a memory jog
I looked for the ice cream
And found a peanut log
Candy in the freezer? Okay
Certainly not a BAD idea
Ice cream in the candy jar, NO WAY!
Life is a journey, enjoy the ride
Laugh at yourself, take it all in stride
Laughing is just good for the soul. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then how can you expect others to laugh along with you? As I get older, I have to laugh at the ‘silly’ things I do sometimes without even thinking – putting the milk in the panty and the cereal in the fridge, thinking one thing and saying another, calling my own phone number, driving to the grocery store and realizing I am at the post office.
I can’t help but laugh – literally LOL! That’s right, laugh out loud! So hard, my sides hurt! I just stand there, look at what I am about to do or where I am instead of where I am suppose to be and just totally burst out laughing!
Someone once said doing such crazy things was a sign of old age. Most of the time it is simply a case of just too much mental clutter! It’s the day I go to the pantry and find the milk that has been there for several days that worries me! That would mean all the things that should have gone into the pantry are now…um-m-m-m? Where is the bag of potato chips? Peanut butter, where are you? Is that the sour cream I spy in the corner?
What about you? Have you experienced any “I can’t believe I did that!” moments?
“Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves.”
~Queen Victoria
“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.”
~Thomas Merton
Windows to the Soul
Eyes twinkle as smiles unfold
Opening windows to the soul
Lips of kindness softly speak
Shedding wisdom for the meek
Ears send sound waves to the mind
Listening as thoughts unwind
Sights and sounds of nature’s rare beauty
Keep us attuned to faith and duty
Arms stretch outward opening wide
Inviting warmth and comfort inside
Hands keep loved ones secure and near
Clasping tightly those held most dear
Legs and feet, a firm foundation stand
Holding steadfast through every demand
Mind and body should always remain in sync
Being in control of what we do and think
Heartfelt emotions triumph to never subside
Waning not, enduring forever to abide
Love and devotion join firmly hand in hand
Echoing solidity, not shifting sand
Memories unite the heart with the soul
Relishing that moments never grow cold
Windows to the soul reflect who we are
Opening portholes for those near and far
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
| affection, affinity, alliance, amity, attachment, benevolence, closeness, concord, familiarity, fondness, friendliness, good-fellowship, goodwill, harmony, intimacy, love, rapport, regard |
To me, there is a very strong word reflected in the quote that does not appear in the list of synonyms for friendship:
| abundance, alleviation, amenity, assuagement, bed of roses, cheer, cheerfulness, complacency, contentment, convenience, coziness, creature comforts, enjoyment, exhilaration, facility, gratification, happiness, luxury, opulence, peacefulness, pleasure, plenty, poise, quiet, relaxation, relief, repose, rest, restfulness, satisfaction, snugness, succor, sufficiency, warmth, well-being |
Do you see any synonym of comfort that does not lie within the boundaries of friendship? Where would we be without friends? The need to reach out to someone is ever present whether in times of happiness or despair. These are definitely the times and places where hugs are universal!
If these pictures are true representations (never can tell with the capabilities of technology today), why is it humans have such difficulty coexisting?
Echoes of Life
The Beauty of Nature: Do you see what I see?
************************
Moments Captured
’Tis hard to encapsulate a full day
From morning dew to midnight sky
A nimiety of snapshots exist
Each caught in a blink of an eye
Above still dark trees and somber sky
Diffused light of early morn emerges
Beetles nibble on dark-green foliage
Sensations of nature’s splendor surges
Morning glories stretch and yawn
Unfurling shades of fuchsia that glow
Bees fly toward the inner beacon
Extracting nectarines deep below
Atala butterflies hover in the wind
Blue-green incandescence on their wings
Red-orange abdomens expand in the sun
Exploiting new life that morning brings
An angel of light appears in the midst
Casting sunbeams that overcome shadows
Ladybirds feed on the whitefly and aphids
Revealing beneath their wings moments captured
©2004 Echoes
Sharla Lee Shults
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.”
~Author Unknown
… those blessed little creatures will always find a way to remind us that we matter….
Matters of the heart care not whether young or old—
A yearning for love, desire to be wanted, longing to be needed
A rekindling of joyful moments long ago gone cold…
Analogy for Aging
Aging—an ever-changing presence
Mirrors life’s essence
The view atop a mountain’s peek
Echoes not a single word
Music of a baby’s first cry—
Sweetest solo ever heard
Ocean waves during a storm
Crest majestically on their own
Vision of a child’s first steps—
Rocking and reeling, never alone
Fiery aura of dusk and dawn
Casts brilliant hues with every view
Youth’s outlook on love and life—
Promising, yet demanding debut
Natural ambiance of early spring
Unleashes new living entities
Expressive power of a young adult—
Racial, ethical identities
Falling leaves of autumn
Whirl whimsically through the air
Age of midlife crisis—
Unsettled over graying hair
Time for sweet reflection
Sets inner smiles aglow
Twilight years of old age—
Wisdom youth should know
©2012 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
“Aging is an inevitable process.
I surely wouldn’t want to grow younger.
The older you become, the more you know;
your bank account of knowledge is much richer.”
—William M. Holden (Author, n.d.)
Definitely too many irons in the fire! Where do I start, which ones are still hot, which ones only luke warm and which ones barely still glowing? There’s a flicker…better hold onto that thought! Well, to clarify quickly, all of my blogger friends are still HOT! Other things will just have to be left smoldering for a little while longer.
Oh, my, here I am extremely grateful and embarrassed at the same time. I am so grateful to all followers and visitors of catnipoflife and embarrassed in the lateness of the recognitions to follow. It is with deepest appreciation that the Shine On and Reality Blog awards are accepted! I do hope you will take the time and visit the amazing sites who bestowed these awards on catnip. Each offers a unique perspective on life that you really do not want to miss, as well as other website nominations you might want to visit!
*Shine On Award from Hot Rod Cowgirl! Hot Rod Cowgirl is all-American and will amaze you with her magnificent photography.
*Reality Blog Award from Fortyteen Candles! Fortyteen Candles writing is light but yet a powerful read with excellent imagery.
*Reality Blog Award from The Blazing Trail! The Blazing Trail blazes with words to enlighten, spur and strengthen!
*Reality Blog Award from The London Flower Lover! The London Flower Lover is for anyone with a love of flowers and great life stories!
*Reality Blog Award from Raani York! Raani York jabs and stabs celebrities with her quick wit and Jake offers his advice in his cat diary!
With every award comes RULES! The rules for receiving each of these awards are basically the same. So, here are the rules to apply to both:
1.) Show appreciation of the blogger who nominated you and link back to them in your post. DONE!
2.) Add the award logo to your blog. DONE!
3.) Share 7 things about yourself. SEE BELOW!
3.) Nominate 5 – 10 or so bloggers you admire. SEE BELOW!
4.) Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know. CHECK YOUR BLOG! WATCH FOR A TWEET!
5.) Optional questions. (This one I will forego for now to make it easier on everyone!)
7 ‘cookie crumbs’ about me. . .
And the recipients are. . .
Drum roll, pl-e-e-ease. . .
AND THAT IS NOT ALL, FOLKS! GO TO AWAKENINGS FOR MORE REALITY BLOG AWARD RECIPIENTS. . .
“You are my sunshine on a rainy day,
you bring color to my days of gray, and
with caring words you drive the blues away.”
~catnipoflife
See on Scoop.it – Water the mind – READ
Holmes’ Significant Life Events Scale rates the loss of your spouse at 100! I can tell you that is about right. I suffered behind the loss of my precious husband. I do not want you to suffer for one minute longer!!! One of the things I did to help with that grief and loss was to write this book Stand In Your Anointment – This Too Shall Pass!!! Available on Amazon! There is helpful information in there. Please let me help you!! Check our my website too!! Helpful information is there http://www.victoryroadwellnesscenter.com. Louise
catnipoflife 