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)
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Each year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 marking the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. This was during a time when protest was of the highest order, especially as war raged in Vietnam. Earth Day, however, did shift conscious awareness away from the war opposition and more toward environmental concerns.
The photos of the first Earth Day are courtesy of National Geographic Daily News.
The immediate aftermath of the first Earth Day celebration resulted in people looking hung over and litter-filled parks which partly negated the previous day’s environmental message.
“The crowds again are often people looking for something to do or an axe to grind on some other issue. People should practice what they preach.”
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
What was my favorite book as a child? That is a question which requires little to no pondering. The one which most impacted me is the story of Heidi written in 1880 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. Now don’t get confused here…that does not mean I was a child in the late 1800s. Let’s see, that would make me 133 years old. Nah! Not yet ❤
If you are not familiar with Heidi, it is a story of a young girl who at five years old was placed under her grandfather’s care because of the early deaths of her parents. Suddenly she found herself living in the Swiss Alps in the clutches of an old man who really did not want to be bothered. Her grandfather was a reclusive. Events of the story, however, warmed the old geezer’s heart and his life forever changed. Heidi became a ray of sunshine and a breath of fresh air marking the end of a secluded life.
It has been a lo-o-o-ong time since I read this little story but it will always have a place in my heart. I think I was saddened from the beginning because of the loss of her parents. I could not understand what life would be like without parents since I was so close to my dad and mom. Then, of course, there was the imagery. I can still envision the beautiful mountains, the grassy hills as Heidi playfully ran, the goats and simply the essence of serenity. Even Heidi’s room is vividly planted in my mind with the tiny single window through which she viewed her wondrous new world.
Anyone reading this brief memory about Heidi is encouraged to find a copy for your child or perhaps grandchild. It teaches compassion within a simple life without any of the modern amenities of today. It is childlike innocence in its purest form. Having written this, I find myself wanting to read Heidi again, only now it will be as a grandmother reading it to my granddaughters.
I have always had an affinity for Switzerland and I attribute my feelings to reading this heart-rending story as a child. In the early 70s, I did get the opportunity to travel to Europe. During my travels, one of my most memorable sights was the Matterhorn. Perhaps sights of the Swiss Alps were calling me home to memories long ago established but never forgotten.
What’s in a Book?
Pictures, stories, poems and more
A world opens up to explore
Animals, insects and frogs thrive
Visions of numbers come alive
Bedtime stories and fairy tales
Sugarplums and fairies cure all ails
Mystery and amazement to ponder
Imagination makes one wonder
Lessons to be learned, places to practice
Respect, charity, humility and justice
Love and honor, experiences to encounter
Emotions bring tears or laughter
Travel back in time, forward into the future
Much to explore about life and nature
So many questions, where to find answers
Turn the pages for new adventures
Watch the gleam in a child’s eyes
For a ‘novel’ idea, try this exercise
Find a book every chance you can
Place it right into a child’s hand
©Echoes 2004
Sharla Lee Shults
What was YOUR favorite book as a child? I would love to hear from you!
The HUG Award Unites Globally
Catnip is all for HUGS! Hugs are universal! Thank you, Joseyphina @ Joseyphina’s World, for bestowing the Hug Award onto catnipoflife!
I am deeply honored and delighted to be considered worthy for such an award. But the best part of being nominated is the opportunity to share this award with other amazing blogs whose posts never cease to bless, encourage and enlighten.
Here is a little information about the Hug Award…
The HUG Award© was initiated by Connie Wayne at A Hope for Today at http://ahopefortoday.com, which promotes hope, love, peace, equality, and unity for all people. The HUG Award© is for people with an expectant desire for the world, for which they: Hope for Love; Hope for Freedom; Hope for Peace; Hope for Equality; Hope for Unity; Hope for Joy and Happiness; Hope for Compassion and Mercy; Hope for Faith; Hope for Wholeness and Wellness; Hope for Prosperity; Hope for Ecological Preservation; Hope for Oneness. “
People do not have to give up or compromise their own religious, spiritual, or political beliefs to qualify for the Hope Unites Globally HUG Award©. They qualify for the HUG Award© when, without bias or prejudice, they use their resources and gifts to make the world a better place for everyone.” For more information on this award, please visit: http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/
I was humbled when I read about the Hug Award and deeply moved for catnipoflife to be considered a recipient. It is a great honor to pass this noble award to the fellow blogging friends whom I believe share in the same vision as the creator of this award. It is my sincere prayer that together, we can all spread hope to each corner of the earth with our inspirational messages of hope and peace.
SPECIAL NOTE FROM SHARLA: It is impossible to select only a few recipients for this award. I am so grateful for each and every one of my readers and followers. Today my heart goes out to all of you as I bestow the Hug Award to be posted on your site from catnipoflife. It is my sincere prayer that together, we can all spread hope to each corner of the earth with our inspirational messages.
A BIG Kitty Hug to You!
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Something awesomely powerful and totally action packed IS at the same time oh-so relaxing. What is this two-sided coin?
A waterfall.
Visit Awakenings to Embrace the Past, Empower the Present, Enrich the Future…
Let the meditation begin @Awakenings…
What do you feel at the sights and sounds of a waterfall?
There is a World of Waterfalls waiting to be explored and enjoyed!
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Patriot’s Day, April 15, 2013, will be long remembered not only for its significance as a civic holiday, uniquely a New England holiday, but for the tragic terrorist bombings that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, this is not the first of such horrific events to occur on this important day in history… Read MORE @Awakenings.
A prayerful moment…
Take a moment to lift your heart in thoughtful prayer for those injured and for the families of those whose lives were lost as a result of this terrible tragedy. Their plight is one of both emotional and physical trauma. Events of today changed their lives forever!
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
Get ready, grab your sides and ENJOY...
Laugh today for you do not know what tomorrow brings! That's life... ~catnipoflife
Even in times of hardships and sadness one can find beauty. That beauty to me is the beauty of heart. While tears may seem to never subside, the heart still remains strong within its rhythmical beats of life. Take life one heartbeat at a time relishing in each moment, never forgetting you are beautiful! Just stop & listen for a while.
Life has loveliness to sell, all beautiful and splendid things, blue waves whitened on a cliff, soaring fire that sways and sings, and children’s faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup. —Sara Teasdale (American lyrical poet, 1884–1933)
Treasures of the Heart: Moments Captured
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
Along life’s journey appear visions of despair
Wants and desires, times that seem totally unfair
While the expedition can be arduous and cruel
It can also be full of beauty shiny as a jewel
Life’s bounties offer gifts to lovingly share
Ready to be opened and handled with care
Its treasures of the heart tenderly unfold
Becoming moments captured within the soul
A kitten’s purr or a dog standing guard
These are life’s blessings in our own backyard
Images snapped with the blinking of an eye
Are stored in the mind’s diary never to die
Family and friends enjoy a wonderful relationship
Rallying around a campfire in fun and fellowship
Reminiscent of times past—love, lives and such
Stories echo memories thought of so much
Life is an incredible album of sad and joyful times
Echoing of discordant notes and melodious chimes
Count not the yearly months, weeks or even days –
Capture the moments encountered within each phase
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
Happy Easter to all and may your day be filled with blessings beyond words!
We have been blessed with my husband now off life support, out of ICU and resting in a private room. If fact, he was helped out of the bed yesterday and has begun sitting in a chair. He is very weak and cannot walk on his own. We still have a long road ahead but the way is filled with light and hope for a full recovery. Thank you all for your intercessory prayers, thoughts and concerns.
Not being in the frame of mind lately to keep up with catnip, I am reposting Easter greetings from last year.
Regardless of the year, the message is still the same!
Sometimes we ponder and ponder in hopes of eventually mustering the right words to tender an emotion, offer inspiration or purpose newfound knowledge. That is exactly where I found myself today as thoughts were enveloped in the “spiritual essence of Easter.”
Ah-h-h-h! The wonders of the Internet directed my fingers toward exploring its limitless boundaries in search of something overpowering. Webcrawlers fetched page after page delivering data, information, pictures, videos, etc. At the end of the day, a plethora of windows had opened stroking my heartstrings with sights and sounds of wonder and passion. For every time a window opened a new window was discovered that led to another window and . . . Oh, my! Sounds like something venomous caught in a silky web waiting to be a tasty appetizer while life begins to ebb! Doesn’t it?
Needless to say, my efforts were not in vain. The words of my heart had already been written and laid to rest upon the sands of time to be revisited and never forgotten. Now, I share with you, my readers and followers, what thoughts I discovered on the Easter Lily. . .
“Rightly the lily is the flower of Easter. It lies buried in the ooze of pond or stream. There is the grave of the dead lily that appeals to nostril or eye. But silently the forces of life are dark and the damp to prepare a glorious resurrection. A shaft of green shoots upward toward the sun. This is followed by a cluster of tiny buds. One day the sun smiles with special warmth upon the dank, black ooze, and there leaps into the light a creature of light and beauty; it is the lily, an angel of the earth, whose look is light.”
—Author Unknown
How did the lily come to grace the fields of America? The cultivation of lilies did not originate in the United States for the lily is a native of Japan. History reveals the account of a WW I soldier, Luis Houghton, bringing a suitcase full of hybrid lily bulbs to the South coast of Oregon in 1919. Houghton freely distributed bulbs to his friends and neighbors. Because of the events of WW II, the Japanese source of bulbs was abruptly cut off. Therefore, those growing lilies as a hobby noted the value of lily bulbs sky-rocketing and many decided to go into business on their own. At that time, Easter lily bulbs were known as “White Gold,” resulting in cultivators attempting to cash in on the crop. By 1945, there were about 1,200 growers producing bulbs up and down the Pacific coast, from Vancouver, Canada to Long Beach, California.
Of course, this post cannot end without my own personal atonement to. . .
The Lily. . .
Sounding of trumpets
Extol the most high
Rallying a crowd
No one should deny
Calls to drill and battle
Resound a time nigh
Echoing surrender
Or a battle cry
No white, just crimson
Adorn the fields
Beds of blood and bone
A battle yields
Within times’ passing
Ghastly signs disappear
Blades of bright green
Awaken thoughts held dear
Slender stalks emerge
Rising from earthy graves
Flaunting scaly bulbs
Pompous as ocean waves
Milky-white trumpets
Surge with praises toward the sky
Spiritual essence of Easter
Extols the most high
©2012 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
Song of Solomon 2:1
catnipoflife will be on leave for awhile but hoping it will not be for an extended time. My husband, Jim, is in ICU in Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, AL. This is approximately an 80-mile round trip from where we live. I had to have an ambulance dispatched this morning because he could not get his breath.
We remained in the ER in our home town until approximately 12 noon. By the time he arrived at the ER in Dothan, he was not breathing. He has been put on a respiratory machine which is doing the breathing for him. He had to have a procedure called Thoracintesis to drain a liter and a half of fluid from his lungs. He is stable and resting.
I came home because they would not let me stay, of course, in ICU. I will be going back in the morning and will post updates as I know more.
Keep him in your prayers,
Sharla
catnipoflife 