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!

Apr 29

Versatile Blogger Award Thank You

by catnipoflife

VersatileBloggerWith personal issues taking precedence over the last few weeks, I have found myself a bit behind in email correspondence and blogging. What a surprise to receive a Versatile Blogger Award nomination from The London Flower Lover! Sorry I have not responded sooner but circumstances placed such attentions on the back burner. Many heartfelt thanks are extended for the nomination:) Just knowing the hearts and minds of fellow bloggers have been touched by catnip’s offerings is reward enough.

Now, on to the task at hand! It is my responsibility to enlighten the blogging world with

1) Seven (7) things about me that you did not know.

2.) Nominate 15 other bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award and tell them so they can pass the love on and on and on and on.

Seven things you did not know about me. . .

1. I am a many years past Weight Watchers makeover: an event that greatly changed my life. Having always been overweight I carried a lot of painful childhood memories well into adulthood. A shift in dress size 18 to size 4 truly made a difference both mentally and physically.

2. My husband (Jim) and I reared four children – one boy and three girls. We had each experienced a trumatic earlier marriage that eventually led us to taking on the responsibility of all four children. He had custody of his two daughters and I had a son and a daughter. None of the children had experienced a good family relationship until we were all brought together through God’s blessing.

3. Jim and I both worked for the railroad industry. He was trainmaster (Southern Railway and ASAB Railway) and I was Freight Agent (ASAB Railway). Our first ‘real’ kiss was in a railroad yard!

4. Prior to meeting Jim, I did my tour of duty in snow country, Oldstead Falls, Ohio. I enjoyed teaching in a middle school but found my students more mesmerized with my Southern accent than in learning. Glad for the experience but was happy to return to my southern roots!

5. At the age of 40, I was in the Top Ten for Mrs. Florida. Average age was 23! Having only been married two years at the time, I failed to answer the question what aggravated me the most about my husband. Oh! To be asked that question now! Just kidding:) Of course, what they wanted was something humorous and I took the question literally.

6. I love to cook. My husband loves to cook. We love to cook together:) Food fight!!!

7. Growing up I was very quiet and shy, truly introverted. Then, I met Jim. . .life was never the same and I would not trade it for the world!

My nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award. . .

Being a relatively new blogger (since November 2011), fifteen may be a difficult task, but here goes. These are the ones that have been my inspiration in one way or another. BTW Who on earth came up with the magic number of 15?!.

Specializing in the Impossible. . . Laura Johnson
Laura enlightens her readers with her love of tackling the impossible! She definitely will show you faith is a good thing!!

Goals, Dreams, and Aspirations. . . Claire Cappetta
Claire exposes her heart and soul in a manner than not only reflects her own real-life experiences but ways to help others through truly traumatic times.

A Taste of Bliss. . . Wendell A. Brown
Wendell, aka The Brown Poet, writes poetry from the heart with God’s blessing: True inspiration not only from the heart but the soul!

Fairycart. . . Jenny Park
Jenny presents an unusual blog about fashion and food from different parts of the globe.

Fighting the Devil. . . Jeannie Walker
Jeannie Walker is an award winning true crime author. Fighting the Devil is the true story of one woman’s determination to see justice done.

Magic in the Backyard. . . Kellie Elmore.
Kellie presents a different kind of poetic writing that takes you back to days when magic truly existed in the backyard. Perhaps, it still does.

Daily Spiritual Tools. . . Sherry Woodcock
Where would we be without daily uplifting to guide us through the events of a seemingly world gone mad? Sherry’s latest posting Sacred Longing focuses on that deep, persistent need to know the presence of God within us and in all things.

A Hairdresser’s Diaries. . .Christine Hannon
Christine’s, aka sassiecercie, story is one of survival yet interlaced with moments, as she puts it, that will tickle your funny bone while she shares stories, jokes, embarrassing moments, poems and friendship.PhotoBotos. . . Charlie and Tom
Travel the earth through the camera lens of featured photographers. Enjoy an amazing photo every day.

Christina Li Books. . . Christina Li
Christina introduces herself as an author in the trenches. Her posts offer writing tips, encouragement, and humor. May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day – posted under Humor: A REALLY bad day at work!

GREATPOETRYMHF’S Weblog. . . MaryHelen Ferris
Ah-h-h! The beauty of music, poetry and photography all in one blog! As MaryHelen so graciously puts it, Opening of Soul in poetry.

Darby’s Story and More. . . Martha Steward
Are you a lover of animals? Then, this is the blog for you: Inspiring stories of an adopted dog and a tailless cat. Darby’s Story and Bangle Bear are A Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Recipient.

Potato Chip Cats. . . Megan Cronin
“Cats are like potato chips. You can’t have just one.” Megan’s blog is not just about cats. Her motto is changing the world one giveaway at a time!

Terry’s Thoughts and Threads. . . Terry Palardy
Terry offers a avenue for discussion of books you’ve read, books you’ve written and want to share.

KidsCanDoIt!. . . Sandra McLeod Humphrey
Dare to Dream Big! This multi-award-winning author’s books are not just for kids.

Aspire. Motivate. Succeed!. . . AMS Daily Contributors
Great place for your daily dose of inspiration! Stop by for a visit and feed your soul.

WHEW! That’s it! I invite and encourage you to visit these amazing blogs. Within each is a reward of its own, perhaps your inspiration for tomorrow:)

Awards/Nominations

3 Comments »
Apr 6

Thoughts on the Easter Lily

by catnipoflife

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. . .

Thoughts 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

Blooming of Easter Lilies

Having become totally absorbed in the thoughts on the Easter lily, click the video clip to the right and witness a time lapse of the Blooming of Easter Lilies.

History of the Easter Lily

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.

The Lily. . .

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

Happy Easter to all and may your day be filled with blessings beyond words!

PoetrybySharla

6 Comments »
Apr 1

Daily Reflection

by catnipoflife

We all write because we have a passion for sharing knowledge and understanding that will somehow embrace someone else’s life. Of course, with writing comes a lot of reading. Whether it is selected for research, entertainment or enrichment, each of us seek encouragement and reach out for visions in our own unique way.

A very important aspect of life is that of daily reflection, which comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. It is a means for sharing love, dreams and inspiration to send a heart racing, free a heart from grief, or perhaps offer a path for forgiveness.  Emotional journeys are the keystones for setting experiences or imaginations to paper. Poetry is a formidable mode of expression to soothe the heart and lift the spirit. Fiction explores a world seen through the mind’s eye and casts imaginations into depths often times seemingly unfathomable. Non-fiction offers a path to obtain information or to experience art and relive/revive history.

For whatever reason you write or desire to write, keep that passion alive! Let your fingers take their daily walks (across the keyboard or glide effortlessly with pen and paper in hand) as your mind expands all horizons working out the creativity stored in the scrapbook of your mind.

Everyone has a story to tell and every story has its time and place to be read among thousands upon thousands waiting to be discovered.

Reflect on your mental imagery and that which is stored in your Scrapbook of the Mind. . .

Scrapbook of the Mind

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wild flowers adorn a country hillside
Emanating shades of purple and green
Intermingled poppies add accents of gold
And overshadow new buds in between

Pastel colors gleam within a rainbow
Creating a hand-painted watercolor sky
Honeybees swarm feasting on sweet nectar
As passers-by dreamily let out a sigh

Fields of green expand the horizon
Rich in chlorophyll from the warm sun
Ardent admirers decide to linger
Tempted to take off their shoes and run

Tall twin oaks appear majestic in the distance
Offering cool shade after the summer rain
Travelers venture outward stepping into a picture
Wanting to remain, never to leave again

Visions through a rear view mirror
Capture picture-perfect images of a rare find
Eyelids blink at shutter speed
Storing mental pictures in the scrapbook of the mind

©Echoes 2004
Sharla Lee Shults

“Just as pieces stitched together in a quilt warm our bodies,
scrapbooks bind together memories to warm our hearts. “

PoetrybySharla

4 Comments »
Feb 25

Welcome to Catnip of Life

by catnipoflife

I know no subject more elevating, more amazing, more ready to the poetical enthusiasm, the philosophical reflection, and the moral sentiment than the works of nature. Where can we meet such variety, such beauty, such magnificence?

                                                                                 —James Thomson (Scottish Poet, 1700–1748)

Isn’t life completely surrounded by the raw touch of nature? Captivating moments are right before our eyes, music to our ears, within our very grasp and under our noses waiting to be enjoyed. To inevitably understand living, we must 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!

smelltherain1

Nothing like the smell of rain, the cleansing touch of nature!

The beliefs behind Catnip of Life expose nature as a diamond in the rough and its power to heal. Poetic verses reveal openness to the world around us and how simple everyday happenings and observances make a difference, not only in our lives but also in the lives of others. From reflections where happiness is found with the falling rain and sunshine eases our sorrows to experiencing The Thread of Life where life is given a second chance, there exists excitement, enchantment, emotion, heartbreak and contentment.

But, where do we begin? Man in his inherent nature commands daily strife. So-o-o-o, all the reason to take time to inhale, exhale deeply and breathe—breathe the breath of life. After that deep breath, close your eyes and ponder for a moment  this question: Have you ever stood in the pouring rain or taken time to actually smell the rain?

Click the page link catnipoflife poetry and scroll down to Smell the Rain. Take time to reflect on your life’s experiences. . .

WelcometoCatnip

7 Comments »
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