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!

Feb 13

Licking the Bowl

by catnipoflife

Admiring Family Ties

What common thread binds families together?
Must be those silent unspeakable memories
Which hide in the attics of our minds
Gathering dust, but never brushed away

Episodes of loving, laughing, defending each other
Strengthen emotions to immeasurable depths
Wanting not, wasting not treasured moments
That natural instinct directs along the way

Domestic chatter that may breed bitterness
Welcomes forgiveness with open arms
Knowing a quarrel is momentary
Quickly resolved and not for keeps

Times with friends, pets, even the common cold
Bare little resemblance to a naked forest
But instead resemble a sheltered canopy
To inherently stay even while winter sleeps

Recollections of coveting Mom’s cake batter bowl
Hiding tooth brushes, locking the bathroom door
Borrowing money without any vision of payback
Reveal frowns only later lifted with a kiss

Family ties shed radiant lights like chatoyant gems
Making us at our absolute worst look our best
Are never meant to be broken
And ultimately become bondages of bliss

©2009 Remembering
Sharla Lee Shults

Discount/Autograph Copies Available
Contact poetrybysharla@gmail.com

Also available on Kindle

Inspiration PoetrybySharla Reflection

9 Comments »
Feb 6

Awakenings: Southern Fried Chicken

by catnipoflife

See on Scoop.it – catnipoflife

Nothing says Southern like fried chicken! It is the epitome of the southern America comfort food. It is a staple, its own food group…fried to a golden crisp with juicy mouth-watering goodness at first bite, simply just too ‘ba-a-a-li-i-i-cious’!

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Can’t eat the fried like I want to but sure enjoy it when I can every now and then!

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Enjoy the poem Echoes in Wartime (Good Ol’ Southern Fried Chicken) which was featured in Poetic Bond II, 2012. The poem depicts the love and loss of Southern fried chicken before, during and after war.

Awakenings PoetrybySharla Reflection

7 Comments »
Feb 6

Reflections on a Rainy Day

by catnipoflife
Rainydayreflections

Touch of Catnip: Rain, please stop, so I can go outside and play!

The view outside
Emanates expression
Dour, eerie, solemn
Poetry in motion…

Winds of winter
Bite and sting
Whips of nature
Dance and sing

Rain’s pounding pelts
Soulfully align
Promising a rainbow
Traces of sunshine

Birds in flight
Soar above ground
Moments of fear
Thunderous sound

Barren trees, broken limbs
Silhouette the plight
Beaten, battered, torn
Well into the night

Morning view outside
Emanates expression
Ghostly resonance
Poetry in motion…

©2013 catnipoflifeSharla Lee Shults

©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

Inspiration PoetrybySharla Reflection

12 Comments »
Feb 4

Seven Wonders

by catnipoflife

“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.”
~Thomas Merton

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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 catnipoflifeSharla Lee Shults

©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

A Quote for Today Inspiration PoetrybySharla Reflection Slideshow

6 Comments »
Feb 2

Beautiful Animals and Birds

by catnipoflife

Of course catnipoflife is not just about cats. It is about life and the joys found within all its beauty: the sights, the sounds, and yes, even the smells. We go about our daily routines sometimes not even noticing the little things that keep life in balance. A new bud on an old flower, a breath of fresh air, the wisp of the wind, a raindrop that quenches the thirst of the tiniest insect.


There is so much surrounding us that is truly amazing. Take the time to simply look around…

Beautiful animals and birds from Murvakonda Shailaja

Inspiration Nature Reflection Slideshow

4 Comments »
Jan 27

Reader Appreciation Award

by catnipoflife

ReaderAppreciationAward2Here we are in the first month of the new year and catnipoflife is overjoyed upon receiving the Reader Appreciation Award from Alastair. Yes, ma’am and yes, sir! I do visit Alastair on a regular basis and leave comments often, very often as a matter of fact. His posts naturally draw me into commenting on his writing, poetry, music and awesome photography. What? You haven’t visited Alastair’s Blog? Well, no time like the present…click HERE or any time you see his name for his is also an award-winning blog!

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As with any award, there are rules. The “rules” for this award state that

1) catnip cannot award someone who has already been awarded. Now, that is a tough one! Some bloggers receive awards and do not display the badges plus it would take an immense amount of time to go to all my followers blogs to see who and who has not received the award. As for catnip, she was a recipient in 2012 but this is her first in 2013. I suppose it is okay to accept since it is a new year.

2) And she cannot give the award back to the person who bestowed it upon her.

With those thoughts in mind, I would like to thank all of the people who comment on my blog, but especially Alastair who honored catnip with this award. Alastair is an avid catnip visitor and his comments are always welcomed and enjoyed.

To my recipients, here are all the rules for this award:

  1. Award your top 6 bloggers who have commented the most.
  2. Be thankful.
  3. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me.
  4. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.
  5. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay to. Just admire it.

Catnipoflife bestows the Reader Appreciation Award to. . .

Marilyn @Seredipity

Raani @Raani York.com

Len @myownheart.me

Ute @Ute Smile

Amber @Lady Lovely

Valerie @Valerie Davis

MESSAGE FROM CATNIP: My deepest appreciation extends to ALL my visitors and readers. The one drawback I see to the blogger awards is the limitation toward paying each award forward. While I may have listed only a few, the names missing does NOT mean your visits go unappreciated. Should anyone want to grab the badge and pass it on to your own readers please do so! After all, it is all about paying it forward: joy is in the giving!

Awards/Nominations Reflection

21 Comments »
Jan 26

Unusual Friendships

by catnipoflife

Friendship

“Friendship is the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring all right out just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful friendly hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and, with a breath of comfort, blow the rest away.” ~Dianh Mulock Craik (1826-1887)

friendship

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:

comfort

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!

“Within friendship, there indeed abides comfort!”

If these pictures are true representations (never can tell with the capabilities of technology today), why is it humans have such difficulty coexisting?

A Quote for Today Cats & Catnip Inspiration Reflection

12 Comments »
Jan 24

Announcing: The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest II!

by catnipoflife

This is a great opportunity for bloggers to come together, make new acquaintances and share their writing. NOT just for women…men definitely have an eye for the beauty in a woman!

HepburnQuote

Announcing: The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest II!

Words, stories and music… I struggle to think of entities more powerful. When I was enduring the darkest time of my life, the eating disorder I shared in my last post, this poem struck me like a dart between the eyes, pinning me to a wall of “What if?” What if its words hold true—not just rationally or solely for other people, but in my heart, soul and beliefs? What if we’re all beautiful and the truest, deepest beauty has little to do with shape or size? What if the “something more” so many of us long for exists inside of us, waiting to be unlocked and cherished? What if I wasn’t afraid of being large, but living large? And in doing so, missing out on the most remarkable beauty of all? Read MORE. . . and SIGN UP!

Reblog Reflection

6 Comments »
Jan 20

Free Write Friday #17: Quote Prompt

by catnipoflife
in-that-moment-i-swear-we-were-infinite

Image Credit: Maddy Bartlett

Kellie Elmore pierced my heart with this one as I reveled in a memory abiding in my soul. Thoughts are already flooding my brain as I prepare for Kellie Elmore’s Free Write Friday! If you are new here, please click to read the intro.

[Kellie, I just found this message in my mega-email so it may not be Friday but I am up to the challenge today.]

This quote is taken from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Does this quote remind you of the abandon and freedom of youth? Or maybe you have one moment that comes to mind? Or maybe the word infinite leaves you pondering its possibilities? Whatever this line says to you, it says this to me…

[Remember this is a free write so corrections are not allowed even if spellcheck denotes an error.]

Infinite Love

June 20, 1981

You stepped through the door
In an instant, a flash
Our eyes connected
My heart…crash, crash

Been through this before
Beating so hard, so fast
What could I do
To make this one last?

Awestruck at most
Breathless at least
Love, love, love
What a beast!

The feeling’s there
I cannot control
It’s not the same – this time
Down to my soul

You must sense
What I feel’s devine
Your eyes, your eyes
Drawn into mine

I swear in that moment, we were infinite… we are infinite!

 
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

Other Contributions:

Mark: http://malekoarts.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/i-swear-we-were-infinite/

Len: http://myownheart.me/2013/01/18/infinite-love-fwf/

Terri: http://terry1954.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/fwf-free-write-friday-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower/

Grace: http://graceunveiledblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/infinite/

Christy: http://poeticparfait.com/2013/01/18/writing-prompt-motivation/

justonemomma: http://wp.me/p34TkK-6

Sean: http://seanbidd.com/2013/01/19/and-in-that-moment-i-swear-we-were-infinity-fwf-free-write-friday/

cshowers: http://burningfireshutinmybones.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/infinite/

Annie: http://www.anniestexasmusings.com/16/post/2013/01/in-that-moment.html

Free Write Friday Reflection

19 Comments »
Jan 16

Inspiration: Butterflies or Dragons?

by catnipoflife

[NOTE: This is my second article written at the request of Aditya Samitinjay. Aditya is a student of Medicine and lives in India. He features great articles, Living Healthy – The Right Way, life changing stories and lots of inspiration on his blogsite. This article hot off the press and can be read at Being Chirpy! and Storylane.] 

ButterflyDragon

Life is drama personified with episodes of both butterflies and dragons with a few butterfly dragons being tossed into the mix along the way.

Butterflies or Dragons?

Here is a teaser. . .

What are your triggers for inspiration…things that are seen or that which is unseen? Emotions through experience or feelings from the gut? Touchables or untouchables? Mirrored images or broken glass? Butterflies or dragons?

It is early morning. With eyes barely open, you stretch and yawn, afterward rubbing the sleepy matter crusted in the corner of each eye. Toes wiggle trying to ease foot cramps, legs ache from being in the same position too long, shoulders still feel tired from the weights not being lifted from the day before. Your feet hardly hit the floor when thoughts awaken your senses flitting and fluttering through the corridors of your mind. They dance angelically, yet fervently, much like the atala butterflies seeking the sweet, sweet nectar from summer’s enticing florets or greet you with a horrid headache as a result of fighting dragons all through the night.

With the day just beginning, what triggered those thoughts exactly, so early with daylight scarcely visible? Hey, you are hardly awake! You haven’t even had the tiniest hint of caffeine to jolt your brain cells into action or set your eyesight on what the day even looks like.

Want to read more? You will need to go to Being Chirpy! or Storylane in order to read the entire article. . .

Articles Inspiration Reflection

8 Comments »
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