Are you truly READY to celebrate the true meaning of this day? Click each image or link!
Are you truly READY to celebrate the true meaning of this day? Click each image or link!
May this Father’s Day be filled with wondrous blessings that continue through each day of the year! To each of you…A Father’s Day Salute!
It’s faith, hope, love
All rolled into one
Encouragement, patience
(never giving up)
‘Til a task is done
It’s being thankful
Gratitude of heart
Knowing what you need
(when you need it)
Right from the start
It’s helping with decisions
Staying taut through outs or ins
Teaching life’s not easy
(taking the right road)
Supporting losses and wins
It’s when having to leave
Looking back with pride
Releasing all the tears
(happiness and heartache)
Bottled up inside
As Christmas day draws nearer and nearer, very little time remains for shopping, especially for the little gifts that may have been forgotten. The last minute push always has people rushing around almost in a daze…in a craze anyway! So, ever thought of doing something different? Staying away from the malls, putting your imagination to work? What about inviting family and friends over and being creative! Make some small gifts together or simply let the time of enjoyment be the gift itself…give the gift of smiles and laughter.
* * * * *
The Time When Giving Rules
Less demanding are simple tools
Maybe rhinestone studded jewels
Some little wooden sewing spools
All in the time when giving rules
©2014 Sharla Lee Shults
Have you ever thought about the difference in thankfulness versus gratefulness? During hot, dry spells, you are thankful for the slightest hints of rain or during the winter, you are thankful for the day falling snow finally wanes. On the other hand, you are indeed grateful for the presence of nature, the nurture that Mother Nature brings to the earth in the forms of nourishment, care, shelter, guidance, inspiration. Being aware of your surroundings interjects feelings of thoughtfulness which in turn makes you truly thankful thereby expressing gratitude for all blessings received. Inner spirit is at peace, heart and soul.
Turning Thoughtfulness
Being thankful, giving thanks
Go together hand-in-hand
One without the other
Makes for a lonely stand
Be thankful for many blessings
Each new day may impart
Specially those unexpected
Which arrive heart-to-heart
Give thanks in return
For those blessings received
Since unspoken words
Can’t be quickly perceived
Be thankful for troubled times
Reaching out to those concerned
For without painful mistakes
Lessons cannot be learned
Give thanks for the little things
From strangers and loved ones alike
Whose genuine thoughtfulness
Presents a delightful heartstrike
Be thankful for each morning
With which a fresh start begins
Giving thanks for daily blessings
Until the day finally ends
Turn thoughtfulness into gratitude
A work of heart, a practice of soul
Find pleasure giving to others
A notion that never grows cold
© 2015 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
—Albert Schweitzer (Alsatian theologian, organist, philosopher 1875–1965)
Feelings of thoughtfulness naturally bring on acts of kindness, which make for a better day any time of the year. Even though November 13th is set aside as a day of celebration, let it only be the beginning of random acts of kindness to last all year!
Opportunities for random acts of kindness are everywhere. We just have to take the time and allow ourselves to do something memorable for others. November 13th, World Kindness Day, is a good day to remind us of that. The good news, is that kindness doesn’t always require spending. A nice letter, a compliment, or even your time can make someone smile.
Shari’s Berries created a Random Acts of Kindness Generator to inspire you on World Kindness Day. Just choose a category, and the generator will provide a simple act you can do for someone else. Luckily, there are over fifty different kindness ideas which you can perform all year long!
July 10, 1984 – July 10, 2014
So many places yet to see, so much yet too be done
One thing for sure…time is ours, never alone!
“Love’s Theme”
by Barry White
Play our love’s theme tonight
My love’s here, it’s no dream tonight
It”s been so long
Since we’ve danced to our love song
I know the melody that made him mine
Will be the melody that keeps him close to me (love’s theme)
Play our love’s theme once more
Make him feel, like he felt before
While the lights are low
Please, let the music flow
I know that the melody that made him mine
Will be the melody that keeps him close to me (love’s theme)
Play our love’s theme again
Touch his heart, touch his soul and then
Once we sip the wine
His lips will come to mine
I know that the melody that made him mine
Will be the melody that keeps him close to me
Love’s theme…
Love’s theme…forever mine, forever yours, forever ours!
To my husband, I love you…yesterday, today and all the tomorrows to come!
Happy Pearl Anniversary!
To all my family, friends, followers and visitors, wishing you a glorious SPRING! Here is a bouquet of Spring flowers for everyone to enjoy and share if you like!
Visit catnip’s sister site, Awakenings, for What’s happenin’! on this day…
What were your first signs of Spring?
catnipoflife is celebrating her 200th follower! For some, this is only a drop in the bucket. But, for catnip, this is a milestone: she has exceeded the limitations of the Liebster Blog Award and is no longer considered a ‘newbie’, new kid on the block, novice, noobonaught, or nooblet!
With this announcement comes the opportunity to recognize the 200th sign-on: [Drum roll, please…]
Dan @hurdlestohappiness
Here is a little about Dan in his own words:
My name is Dan, and I am currently a student at the University of Central Florida, majoring in Creative Writing and double minoring in Spanish and Hospitality Management. I recently completed my first book, a self-help for teens, with hopes of it being published in the near future. This blog is meant to give you a deeper look into the life of a teenager wanting to become a published author, as well as offer tools and tips of advice to help you ultimately achieve the life-long goal of Happiness.
Gifts of Appreciation in Celebration
As catnip’s 200th follower, she would like to provide a few gifts in celebration. So, Dan, I do hope you will accept with pleasure. . .
First gift…
The Versatile Blog Award: catnipoflife recently received this award from Poems French & English by Gys. [This award was the very first award received by catnip last spring. Click HERE for her info.] Having perused your blog, I discovered the categories Achieving Happiness, My Writing Process, Poetry and Travels. With versatility comes accomplishment and accomplishment indeed is evidenced in your many blog awards that honor writing purposely, skillfully and with talent.
As with any award, there are rules:
1. Thank and to link the blogger who nominated you.
2. Show the award logo on your blog.
3. Write a post on the appointment.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers (or any number of your choice, more or less) and inform each.
5. Tell 7 things about yourself.
Second gift…
Super Sweet Award: catnipoflife graciously accepts this award from Ute Smile. [This is catnip’s second, the first coming from Len @myownheart.me a few months ago. Info can be found HERE.] Everyone loves sweets, some more than others! With this award, comes naming your favorites!
Here are the rules:
Nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers and answer these five questions in your own blog posting. Be sure to inform those upon which you bestow the award.
1. Cookie or cake?
2. Chocolate or Vanilla?
3. Favorite sweet treat?
4. Time when you crave sweets the most?
5. Sweet nickname? (If you don’t already have one, what would you like it to be?
Third gift…
Awakenings from Then ’til Now: catnipoflife‘s sister site Awakenings recently featured The Next Big Thing highlighting the soon to be released Awakenings from Then ’til Now. An additional gift to you is a copy of this book signed by me, the author. To receive your signed copy, I will need a mailing address. Should you not want to publicly display your address, you may email it to me @poetrybysharla@gmail.com . There are no rules, of course, in acceptance of this gift but perhaps you might consider a review.
Fourth gift…
A Bookmark: What is the gift of a book without a bookmark! Yep, one is included so when you take a break from reading you won’t lose your place in time. The book covers five centuries from the 17th century to the 21st century. What does the past whisper to you? opportunities for reflection occur intermittently throughout each chapter. Happy journeying and journaling!
Five is catnip’s “number” so there is a Fifth gift…
The Next Big Thing: An invitation is extended to you for an interview to be included on catnipoflife and Awakenings as an addition to The Next Big Thing, which is a series of blog posts where authors talk about their work using the same ten questions. At the end of the blog you can tag other authors who will do the same thing a week later. So not only do others get to find out more about your book but you also connect your site to some other interesting writers. The Next Big Thing is a hot topic in the writers’ world so say ‘yes’ and tag along!
Before closing, catnip thanks all of her followers for their time visiting and leaving comments. Any day is a good day to gather a little catnip of life!
Faith Squared brings you the 2012 Virtual Advent Calendar
Click the link above or the image for access to Faith Squared: a kind of cyber sanctuary where you can stop, take a break from the everyday wackiness of life…where Faith shared is Faith Squared. Once on the site bookmark the calendar for quick reference each day. During a few quiet moments of reflection or medication, access the calendar and simply hover over the pictures to reveal the hidden links. Each new link will appear one day at a time from now until Christmas. By virtue of this calendar being virtual, you won’t be able to peek ahead.
[Just as a little upfront notice, catnip’s Sharla Shults was invited to contribute to the calendar and is being featured on December 22.]
We invite you to slow down for a few moments each day and open a window…savor the images, listen to the lyrics, ponder the messages. Spend a little time with God and engage in the miracle of this sacred time.
Happy holidays, everyone!
[The links from the calendar to the post go live sometime between 6:30-7:30 a.m. PST each day. If you are a subscriber, you will get an e-mail notification when the post is published.]
[After reading this post, be sure to go to . . .echoes of the past. . . and read the poem
papa, mr. catfish and me!
Oh, I can just hear you now! WORMS! UGH! You shiver and squimishly shy away! But, WAIT! Don’t be in such a rush; there is actually a good reflection going on here. I do believe the reason this hit me last night is because throughout the entire day yesterday, my dad was heavy on my mind.
What a great man! He loved the out of doors and was his happiest either fishing on Lake Seminole or playing golf. He was also an avid hunter but that seemed to be put aside as he approached his senior senior years. How I loved the times he would take me fishing! The day before we would go digging for worms and set out early the next morning for the lake with his fishing boat in tow. No fancy rods and reels, just simple cane poles and the red wigglers for bait. He let me know right away he would not be baiting the hook for me. No, sir! He said he would have enough to do to keep his own pole baited and in the water.
There are no pictures of us in the family album but this is a very good replica of Daddy’s fishing boat. Could not find a photo of Daddy/daughter fishing!
Once on the water we road around and in a short while stopped at one of Daddy’s favorite fishing ‘holes’. With poles in hand, the first task at hand was baiting the hooks. I would shut my eyes and hesitantly dip my hand in the bucket coming out with a handful of squishy, wiggly worms. I would just look at them twisting and turning trying to crawl out of my hand in search of good ol’ Mother Earth. I would look over at Daddy silently hoping he would say, “OK, little girl, let me take care of that for you.” But, silence prevailed as he carefully tended to his own hook. I knew he was watching me out of the corner of his eye. Even his pipe could not hide the sly grin.
I carefully selected the prize worm and put the others back in the bucket to await their fate at a later time. Mother had already taught me how to sew so I decided I would just pretend I was threading a needle. [Not a very good analogy, I know.] Anyway, with the wiggly, swiggly worm between my fingers, I held my breath and voila managed to get it hooked without losing my breakfast. Whew!
Alas, with that done, I took a deep breath, sighed, smiled at my dad, and said, “At least the worst is over.” Oh, was I in for a surprise! With a flip of the line, the little worm hit the water, “Splash!” Dad and I sat in his fishing boat what seemed like forever but was probably no more than ten, maybe fifteen minutes. He glanced my way, asked if I was hungry and I said I would pass for the time being. After handling the worms, thoughts of eating just did not seem very appealing. Another ten, maybe fifteen minutes passed.
I squirmed, shifted in my seat, yawned (we hit the lake at dawn) and tried not to seem too bored or impatient. After all, I was nine years old and a girl for heaven’s sake. I should be home with Mother in the kitchen or playing with my baby dolls. Right? No way! I was like my dad and absolutely loved the outdoors. We both had looked forward to this day.
Of course, you know mine was no where near this big but to me it was the biggest catfish in the lake!
Then, it happened! It started with a slight tug on the end of the line. The tiny cork began to bobble up and down in the water, disappear and reappear within a matter of seconds. Daddy laid his pole aside and gently put his arm across my shoulder. The pole began to bend and I just knew it was going to break as it curved into a half moon. With a quick jerk, Daddy set the hook and helped me bring in the grandest catfish I had ever seen! I squealed with smiles and giggles as most girls do and wanted to jump up and down but remembered we were in the boat. That would have to wait until we were ashore. I was so excited but all I could do was simply stare at this huge fish with a half-eaten worm dangling from its mouth who appeared to be staring right back at me.
Oh, do you remember a little while ago my mentioning I was in for a surprise when I thought the worse was over? Have you figured that out yet? Yep, the next step was getting the fish OFF the hook. Of course, Daddy would not let me do that by myself since I was a novice and he did not want me to get finned. But I was required to watch diligently so I could learn the perfect technique for later fishing trips. With that task out of the way, we continued fishing for awhile, catching a few more catfish, and decided to end the trip with a ride around the lake.
After a few hours, we returned to shore, Daddy loaded the boat on the trailer and we headed for home. We talked about the fishing trip and how there would be more times like this one. I could not wait to get home and tell Mama about MY fish. That would come later, much later, for little did I know at the time that first the fish had to be CLEANED!