There are those moments when we simply shake our heads, roll our eyes or sometimes even scream! What is it these days with common sense or should I say without common sense? Has it been thrown out with the baby’s bath water, flushed down the toilet or scattered in the wind? Just simple courtesies that everyone should know seem unheard of, unspoken, out of sight, out of mind!
See if you have encountered any of the ‘unspoken rules everyone should know‘ presented in the slideshow below or perhaps leave a comment of one of your own.
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“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
― Thomas A. Edison
Thursday, August 8, 2013 was Day 91 of my husband’s hospital/rehab confinement. That day was filled with. . .
Jim is home!
A visit from our preacher on Thursday guided me toward this being the time to let Jim know about his brother who died on May 17. David’s unexpected passing shocked him immensely and he took it very hard. He looked at me with the saddest tears in his eyes and pleaded, “Please let me be discharged so I can deal with this loss in the solitude of my own home.” It had already been decided for his release from the rehab facility to be on Wednesday of next week so other than not really being prepared there was no reason he could not go home. Many of his medications have been discontinued so that administration will actually be easier than before he went into the hospital.
Visiting Nurses Association will take over now as Jim continues with therapy. We are going to try and schedule two days a week at the hospital and three days at home. VNA will consist of a team of three members: nurse, therapist and aide.
Jim’s recovery is nothing shy of a true miracle! Even the doctors had pretty much given up hope and at one point in time, the family was called in to make a decision as to whether he should be pulled off of life support or continue in hope of his regaining memory and physical stamina.
Many battles have been won but the war is not completely over. He still faces a surgical procedure at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. This procedure will hopefully keep the past pancreatic issues from recurring.
We have been blessed in so many ways throughout Jim’s recovery and there are not enough words of gratitude for all the intercessory prayer! All praise and glory go to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Without Him, we are but a speck of dust blowing in the wind going nowhere.
Hugs and blessings to each of you!
Sharla
Is this a smile of happiness or what?This picture was taken on our back porch Friday, August 9, 2013.
In March, Megan @ Make Something Mondays blessed her visitors and followers with some photographs that are more than “just photographs.” Megan always enlightens her readers with posts representing the most unusual to the most inspiring! She features a blog about art and design, tutorials and creativity. I encourage you to pay her a visit and enjoy her uniqueness!
Below is a slideshow of the photographs from Megan. Each is special in its own way carrying its own unique message:
A message of love.
A message of hope.
A message of challenge.
A message of surprise.
A message of remembering.
A message of loneliness.
A message of laughter.
A message of comfort.
A message of joy.
A message of awesomeness
and the list goes on.
These are photographs that you do not simply glance and move on to the next. Ponder each one with thoughts of what it represents and how lives are touched within each snapshot! If you must, pause the slideshow and continue at will. Capture the feeling behind each photograph: smile, laugh, shed a tear for the emotion is there within each and every one…
Life is filled with messages Cued with the rising of the sun Veiled in the shadows of twilight Waiting for just the right moment To be captured and remembered Rather than lost within the blink of an eye
Meet Skye, who is a recent recipient of the Very Inspiring Blogger award from catnipoflife. Skye not only showcases awesome photography but she is also a writer of poetry. She manages two blogs: The Sanctuary of My Heart for her writing and Oh, The Things We Shall See for her photography. One of my favorite poems from Skye was posted to her site only a few days ago. Check out Happily Ever After!
Skye is like so many of us who aspire to become good – great – writers. Within the writing world is a lot of fear, fear of acceptance, as well as rejection. If we are accepted, do we have the fortitude to move ahead with swiftness and accuracy of the mighty pen? If we are rejected, do we thrust that mighty pen aside or push that much harder for acceptance? Here are the words of Skye that will allow you into her world of fear.
Fear, lack of self-confidence, FEAR, has kept me from going confidently into anything. Settling for the status quo because it is comfortable and safe keeps me in a bondage like no other. I watch others boldly going forth. Grabbing at the brass ring and sometimes falling to the ground ~ other times attaining that ring and rejoicing. As I watch. Afraid.
Visit Skye at The Sanctuary of My Heart and Oh, The Things We Shall See. Follow and provide her encouragement to move forward toward achieving her goals as a writer. Her writing is pure and touching. You won’t be disappointed as you watch the beauty of her words unfold.
Now, a little touch of catnip poetry accompanied by the wonderful photography from Skye. . .
Dew on a Rose
(As Skye puts it: Diamonds on the Rose)
Sparkling and dancing dewdrops
Sway lazily with a slight breeze
Falling deftly toward the earth
Lightly touching petals and leaves
Dew’s wet water droplets Quench life’s thirsty pups Resting on a spider’s web Before sunlight erupts
Dew-laden leaves and foliage
Grace the picturesque scenery
Within morning or evening
Visions of pearlized greenery
Pale light and soft shadows
Enhance the morning hue
As nature’s teardrops reflect
The day’s first hints of blue
Dew sparkles at first sight
As it silently settles on a rose
Colors burst forth in song
Sunbeams gracefully compose
A dew-kissed morning
Magical and fresh in its view
Revitalizes the inner being
As the rose opens wet of dew
“May each day unfold for you like roses, sparkling in the dew, that open to the morning sun and bloom until the day is through. And may each passing moment bring a song as pure as angels sing but may there be above all things a peace that only God can bring.” —Author Unknown
[This is actually a repeat post from catnipoflife’s sister site Awakenings that was featured last spring. The addition of the animated falls makes you feel like you are there. Feel its power, relish in its beauty as the waterfall takes on all your emotions and appeals to your senses! A HUGE thank you goes to Mary Helen Ferris (greatpoetrymhf) who surprised me with the beautiful animation that makes you feel you are right there experiencing the awesomeness of the waterfall!]
Something awesomely powerful and totally action packed IS at the same time oh-so relaxing. What is this two-sided coin?
It energizes. It mesmerizes. It spiritualizes. It epitomizes.
It can even colorize with a spectrum of rainbow colors appearing in its mist. It is awe-inspiring, breath-taking and powerful all in the same moment. It is in the forefront of electricity and the backdrop for relaxation. It is the epitome of nature, the diamond in the rough.
Embrace the Past…
Before the invention of electricity, river waterfalls were used to move turbines, which powered mills that could grind wheat into flour far faster than any human hand. Its power became the mechanical basis for generators which could create electricity from the motion of falling water, the birth of hydroelectricity.
Empower the Present…
Yet, its sights and sounds can be completely mesmerizing taking the mind on an incredible journey into the world of imagination.
Waterfalls are the background for fairy tales and an all-time favorite in real life. They carry with them an aura of romance, a hint of magic whether rippling over a rocky rivulet or splashing playfully while descending rocky steps. Even when a brook babbling through a forest encounters a rocky riverbed, the result is nature playfully showing off one of its finest moments.
Enrich the Future…
May the waterfalls of life be the forces that lift your heart relinquishing thoughts of daily stress and drama. Let the meditation begin…
What do you feel at the sights and sounds of a waterfall? There is a World of Waterfalls waiting to be explored and enjoyed!
“Think of your life as a waterfall; it may come crashing down at some point, it may have it’s ups and downs, but in the end, it will continue to flow.” —Author Unknown
Dare to dream the impossible for it too may one day be possible!
Life is no life at all without dreams…
Dream a little, live a little – Live a little, dream a lot – Dream a lot, live a lot – Your choice!
“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)
“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”
—James Allen (British philosophical writer, 1864–1912)
Life is a trail of tears, the will to cope
A mountain of discomfort based on hope
It is a highway of dreams, a road very demanding
Out of balance at times, but not without understanding
Each of us at some point in time has hoped for that perfect (well, almost perfect) Kodak moment: the moment when the extraordinary appears right before our eyes. To have that happen to the novice of novice photographers is indeed PRICELESS!
I have seen pictures and watched videos of tiny baby hatchlings but NEVER experienced such a sight up close and personal. I spotted the bird nest as I was in the midst of completing yard work, specifically edging around one of the Crepe Myrtles in our front yard. My camera broke some months back and I was told it could not be repaired. So, I quickly ran into the house and grabbed my SmartPhone. (Don’t you just love the name of these newfangled phones!)
Needless to say, I knew the bird nest wasn’t going anywhere since it had already endured days upon days of wind and rain thus enough time to get Mr. SmartieSnap. Of course, I thought I was only getting a picture of a nest.
Today, inspiration steers me toward sharing with you some of my catnipoflife poetry along with featuring awesome photography so graciously provided by Barbara Beacham @Life in the Foothills. If you have not visited Barbara’s blog, I encourage you to mosey on over right now! You will not be disappointed. In fact, you will probably leave as a new follower. As just a little insight into the awe of Life in the Foothills, the Best Moment Award was bestowed upon Barbara by catnipoflife just recently. Here is what I had (and still have) to say about Barbara Beacham:
Can you imagine Life in the Foothills? I can! after visiting Barb’s blog and her exceptional photography. With just one look, you will be hooked! She will draw you into the lowest valley one minute only to take you to the highest mountaintop the next. She will enlighten you with the wild side of the countryside!
Okay, Barb, you had just better get ready for a visitor one day! I want to experience what life is like living in the foothills! With life being so short and the fact that we only have ONE life to live, it is most befitting to simply LIVE IT! From the inner voice of catnip, “observe life at its best, listen to life’s songs, embrace life’s bounties, breathe the breath of life and savor life to its fullest!”
Follow Life’s Echo
Is it true a mountain echo
Resonates the cry of man
Swallowing up the lonely sound
Just to bring it back again?
Reflective in its harmony
Does the echo solemnly rest
On the ears of the crier
Who put it first to its test?
Mirrored in the background
Of this shrill, lonely sound
Incredible beauty exists
Sometimes lost, sometimes found
Each sunrise and every sunset
Capture life’s true mystery
Echoes of their glory and beauty
Intensify life’s living history
Take a long, panoramic look
Marvel as wonders abound
For the echoes of life
Stand stalwartly all around
Beautiful rainbows, exquisite stars
Embellish a magnificent sky
Revealing fragileness of life
Gone in the mere blink of an eye
Visit the awe-inspiring mountain
Remember to follow the echo
You have but one life: LIVE IT!
Applaud in the blaze of life’s glow
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”
—Joan of Arc (National heroine of France, 1412-1431)
Today marks Day 32 of my husband’s hospital confinement. He has been transferred to a long-term facility and is in the CCU ward. My heart aches and there is no way to hold back the tears.
To my wonderful husband of soon to be 29 years (July 10). . .
’Til the Last Time
Seems like yesterday
You held my hand
For the first time
We met while both working for the railroad.
I trembled You smiled We kissed
a soft kiss. a tender kiss. a kiss always remembered.
All the while
My hand in yours
Your hand in mine
Throughout the years
Sorrows took their toll
Yet knowing love endures
You trembled I cried We kissed
a soft kiss. a tender kiss. a kiss always remembered.
All the while Your hand in mine My hand in yours
In all the tomorrows
We’ll hold hands
’Til the last time
We’ll tremble We’ll smile We’ll kiss
a soft kiss. a tender kiss. a kiss always remembered.
catnipoflife 