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!

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy-Mother's-Day
Motherhood, The Oldest Profession by Micki Peluso

To all Mothers near and far, hope you day is filled with joyous blessings!

Mom-Baby

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.” —Gail Tsukiyama

Mom-Baby2

“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes

Mom-Baby3

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” —Robert Browning

Lennon-Day4

Lennon Reese Walding – Born May 1, 2014

“Because I feel that, in the Heavens above / The angels, whispering to one another, / Can find, among their burning terms of love / None so devotional as that of ‘Mother’” —Edgar Allen Poe

Mother-Day

“[Motherhood is] ‘heart-exploding, blissful hysteria.’” —Olivia Wilde

100 Inspiring Quotes About Moms for 100 Years of Mother’s Day

 If you were asked to write a quote about your mother, what would you say?

7 Comments »

Hands in my life

What a wonderful prelude to Mother’s Day! As with all her writings, Mary Helen Ferris strikes our heartstrings releasing innermost melodious chords!

greatpoetrymhf's avatarGreatpoetrymhf's Weblog

download (2)

I watch women’s hands.

I learn from them.

Some hands are open.

Some hands are closed.

Some hands are baking.

Some hands are making

clothes, mending or brand new.

Some hands will always have to “make do.”

Some hands are willing.

Some have no choice.

Some are speaking instruments

For those without voice.

Artwork by Gabriel Corno Gabriel Corno

Grandmother’s hands were cleaning, crocheting, caressing.

With her hands there was no second guessing.

Now there were moments when on a fevered brow

Those hands were healing With a gentle “Hush, now.”

Mother’s hands were gaily saying

“Clean your room, get your books,

get ready for church,

 or come sit near its time for praying”

I wonder as I ponder

looking in the past

Just how wonderful their hands are now.

Now  there are no more chores to do. 

Now   there are only “angel jobs’

and Souls’ to  “pray through” 

Up there is just…

View original post 27 more words

3 Comments »

Miracle of Birth

Catnip’s motto boasts to 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! This cannot be epitomized in any better way than through the miracle of birth.

She’s born.
A new life has arrived.
Agony of pain gone.

She enters the world screaming
This new life, miracle of birth
A beautiful song, a new beginning

Grandbaby #7: Lennon Reese Walding 7 lns 13 oz Bord 8:30 AM CST May 1 Daphne, AL

Grandbaby #7: Lennon Reese Walding Born 8:30 AM CST May 1 Daphne, AL 7 lbs 13 oz 19 1/2 ins long

Wendy-and-Lennon

Daughter (Wendy) and Granddaughter (Lennon) Congratulations to the new mother!

Psalms 127:3-5Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.

New-Baby

14 Comments »

Resilience

resilience-logo

Do you sometimes feel like a rubber band…stretched to the limit ready to snap at any given moment? Have you been burned scorching with doubt as to whether you can gather yourself up from the ashes and move on? What about having the feeling of standing on the edge where the only way out is down? Dangling over the cliff of life definitely tests our resilience but at the end of the rope is the possibility of bouncing back stronger than ever. At some point in time, we have all probably been at that crossroads.

Resilience2

We can read article after article, seek counseling, cry until there are no more tears, but out of it all surfaces the basics heard over and over again: maintain a positive attitude, be optimistic, regulate emotions, and see failure as a form of helpful feedback.  Perhaps there is good reason behind this repetitiveness.

The more I ponder that which is written and spoken repeatedly, the more it makes a lot of sense. Life throws us curve balls. Nowhere is it written that life will be endured without hardship, without trials, without tribulations. We seek to remain positive for if we don’t, a negative approach or Why Me? attitude will only push us lower, lower, lower until the depth is so severe, hope vanishes of ever rising above.

We change course, soldier on!

Some of us have natural resilience, while for others it must be learned. Have you ever stopped to examine where you stand on the resilience ladder? Are you strong with the ability to stand balanced on the top rung? Or do you find yourself teetering even with the first step? In other words,

How Resilient Are You?

To put it simply…

Resilience

“Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.” ~Bernard Williams

4 Comments »

Simplicity

Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy.” — Richard Halloway

Simplicity: What does simplicity mean to you? Artless. Plain. Dull. Monotonous. Boring. Naivé. WHOA! Let’s change the words… Natural! Unfussy! Effortless! Genuine! Humble! Honest! Does such a difference add complexity to simpleness? Perhaps simple is not so simple after all. Then, it simply may be all in the manner in which it is perceived. That perception varies by which one might view something as being simple.

Let’s examine a word along with simplicity that has not been mentioned. Think about this question: Would you consider simplicity as powerful?

There IS power in simplicity. It allows the flow of creative juices to become less complex leaving out all the fussiness that often muddies the water. It allows us to examine the ideas that are truly important, those that really matter. We then toss aside the rocks within the river bed that break the flow making the way fluent, not choppy, thereby being creative within simplicity!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Another question to think about: Does beauty exist in simplicity?

There is awesomeness in simplicity as so beautifully put in the photography by Alastair! The photos featured below are the winners in Alastair’s monthly photo contest. All are his photography as his readers vote on which is the best fit for each month. Visit Alastair being sure to return and cast your vote for the month of April @

A Mixed Bag

A poem … A story … A Photo … Something Else

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Time to go! I must stop now in order to keep the message simple.

Find simplicity in your day today and every day!

Simplicity1

What simple things have guided your thoughts today?

 

6 Comments »

Awakenings: Titanic – Day 5: Tragedy Strikes

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

The unthinkable happened. The unimaginable occurred. At 2:20 am (2 hrs 40 mins after striking the iceberg), the ocean vessel once deemed unsinkable leaves around 1,517 souls in the depths of her final wake. The water in the area in which Titanic sank was lethally cold, a temperature of 28 °F (−2 °C). A human body will perish in fifteen minutes or less in such water, even for people young and physically fit.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Thus, the end of the Titanic but not the end of her story.

See on www.awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Follow the journey:

Awakenings: Titanic – Day 1: Setting Sail
Awakenings: Titanic – Day 2: Journey Underway
Awakenings: Titanic – Day 3: Upon the Sea
Awakenings: Titanic – Day 4: Iceberg!
2 Comments »

Embrace the Silence

Silence

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.

— Virginia Woolf, “The Waves”

Within the hustle and bustle of daily life, we cherish the quiet moments. We embrace the silence. We seek places of solitude to ponder the events that govern our very being. We long for the silent moments in life…moments during which time we can turn off, unplug, power down and need not pay attention to social media nor other noise confusing our minds. We long to…

Embrace the Silence

Open a door or window.
Turn an ear toward the sky.
Take a deep breath.
Look a bird right in the eye.

Sit in rare silence.
Hold a loved one’s hand.
Stare at one another.
Simply understand.

Speak not above a whisper.
Sing a silent song of heart.
Think absolutely nothing.
Tell mental noise to depart.

Go for a walk.
Leave the phone at home.
Be watchful, listen.
Enjoy time alone.

Step softly, gently.
Read the faces of nature.
Stand in the pouring rain.
Smile with quiet pleasure.

Pick a few flowers.
Stretch out upon green, green grass.
Stare up at the clouds.
Embrace the silence, first class!

catniplogosm1©2014 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSFzp6IDgw

What do you do to embrace the silence?

 

3 Comments »

Don’t forget your GREEN!

Today is…

StPatricksDayHappy2

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!
[Scroll down to the recipe of the day!]

**********

http://awakenings2012.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-bit-of-irish.html
 
Check out A Bit of the Irish!

**********

St-Paddys_Day_humor2**********
St-Paddys_Day_humor
 **********

A few words to the wise from Maxine!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Recipe of the Day: 
St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Lime Cupcakes
http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/2014/03/04/lime-cupcakes/ 
4 Comments »

The Power of Appreciation

Expectation-vs-AppreciationOften when I am working on Awakenings, inspiration guides me to share a day’s events on her sister site catnipoflife. Today is one of those days since March 7th is National Employee Appreciation Day. The thoughts that came to mind center around appreciation vs. expectation. We are all expected to do a good job but are our efforts truly appreciated? Do we pass through the day seemingly unnoticed as robotic motions move us toward completion of assigned tasks? These are possibly questions we have all faced at some point in our lifetime.

Appreciation is something that should come Thank-Younaturally without effort. In other words, it is a natural reaction that is not always expected. Simple expressions go a long way for they replicate appreciation, nothing being expected in return. Pause for a moment and consider yourself a boss walking through the office where several employees are hard at work. Upon passing each person, you simply smile, say thank you continuing on to the next. What a great way to make someone’s day…simply smile, say thank you, walk away!

Expectation-vs-Appreciation2Now, change the scene. Take on the approach of looking around you with nothing in mind but expectations instead of appreciation. Does that ‘thank you’ come as easily since your perception has changed? Are you waiting – expecting – an ah-ha moment to suddenly appear? Becoming so focused on expectations shifts attention toward what is not there, rather than appreciating what is there all along.

Is appreciation more powerful than expectation or is it enough to say there is power in appreciation? While we may set our pace according to our expectations, the reward is being sincerely appreciated.

This is true of life itself outside the boundaries of the workplace. Whether you are reading this today, tomorrow or later on down the road, the power of appreciation flows from employer to employee, employee to employee, teacher to teacher, teacher to student, friend to friend, friend to stranger and it goes on and on…husband to wife, mother to child, brother to sister…

Appreciation

Isn’t it better to expect nothing so when all the surprises come along the gifts are truly appreciated? The gifts, of course, being expressions of gratitude through love, time, energy, and ourselves, not to get anything in return. When we say ‘thank you’, we are giving praise and receiving the real joy in the act of giving. There is indeed power in appreciation!

Appreciation1

To all employees, THANK YOU for the jobs you do for where would we be without you?!.

Employee Appreciation Day_full

3 Comments »

Friends vs. Friendship

Piggies1

Piggies can be our friends!

During a lifetime, each person will encounter innumerable friends. They will come. They will go. Some will be remembered. Some won’t. Many will be real. Thousands will be virtual. Yet, we call them all ‘friends’. There is really no separation. Some we see. Some we don’t. These are our circle of friends.

What makes a person a friend? Can someone be called ‘friend’ yet not truly be a friend, only act friendly? Everyday conversation occurs during which someone will reply, “Oh, he’s my friend!” or “I know her. She is a friend of mine.” Has this happened to you? Have you ever paused in wonder as to what made you identify a person as a friend? Each of us will have different thoughts and answers to that question.

We have work-friends, buddy-friends, intellect-friends, fun-friends, the talker-friend and the listener-friend. There is the big brother or big sister and of course, the friend who is like a mom or dad. Some even earn our trust as we accept them into our hearts without question. Each plays a significant role in life.

Now turn to friendship. Any difference?

Friendship is a form of love, passionate in the sense of caring and understanding but not erotic. It is resting your head on someone’s shoulder and crying out of sheer happiness or sobbing uncontrollably in times of sorrow. It is that person holding you so tight you do not want him or her to let go for you are no longer capable of separating one person’s tears from the other. It is disagreeing and finding harmony in disagreement. Those are the personal lasting friendships.

Today, with the advancement of social networking, friendship does not get applied to many situations. The friends in this environment are acquaintances that people do not even know and probably will never know. Yet, comfort can still be found, it is simply within written communication, rather than in person.

Each of us can be a friend, associate with friends, and form lasting friendships. Those that last are the ones which we truly celebrate. In other words, a celebration of friendship is when you are not only told you have dirt on your face but your friend helps you clean up your mess! This is our blessing of friendship.

Angel of Friendship

friendship_angelstar-divider-lineA cloud floats from Heaven
To rest upon a shoulder
A soft, billowing pillow
Where an angel abides

Quietly, gently resting
‘Til needed to leaven
Heaviness like a boulder
Laying worries aside

Who is this angel?
Quintessence of loyalty
Bearer of charity
Who offers companionship…

Listener with quiet understanding
Sunbeam smiles radiating harmony,
A messenger of amity
Ensuring a lasting relationship

Who is this angel?
This angel is the angel of friendship

Echoes©2004 Echoes
Sharla Lee Shults


6 Comments »