REMEMBERING GRANDMA
“Nothing like walking in the door fresh milk in hand,
except the smell of bacon sizzling in the pan!” ~catnipoflife
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Inspiration for the Soul
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Spirit of the Ladybug
Whether you call them ladybugs, ladybirds, or lady beetles, what is it about this ‘bug’ that so lovingly captures our attention? After all, it is an insect! Oh, my, yes, but what an adorable little insect that can lovingly tickle the palm of our hand or lightly rest on your arm! Let’s take a closer look at this phenomenal tiny creature and its impact on life.
Did you know this tiny beetle is an emblem of good luck, links to spiritual ideals and carries a powerful message? With its tiny, short legs, transparent wings and brightly colored black, yellow or reddish markings, the ladybug fascinates us with her delicate and loving nature.
A Ladybug’s appearance often signals new happiness and a renewed sense of well being, worries will fade and higher goals will be attained. Some say if you count the spots on a ladybug they correspond with the number of wishes and gifts that will come to you in the future but take warning, hurt a ladybug and the spots show how many misfortunes await you. Ladybugs remind us there will always be opportunities to pursue and capture our dreams.
Inspiration for this post came in an email notification from Inspiration Import ~ Art & Words – Spirit & Soul – Create & Creations. What messages have you received from the ladybug? What stories do you have to share about the ladybug and how she touched your life?
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Inspiration for the Soul
“Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow – today. Let it be a small beginning – a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today – every day.”
Need nourishment? Visit my new Pinterest board, Daily Soul Food!
Funny Cats
Since I have titled this blog catnipoflife what could be more appropriate than beginning the day with Funny Cats. We can quip all day about their antics, find hundreds (perhaps thousands) of quotes and last, but not least, know the cat provides the best ‘antidote‘ for a bad day. [Yes, I know I said antidote, instead of anecdote. It fits! THE cat can counteract or neutralize any unpleasant feeling or situation.]
If you love cats, smile! (You are their protector, defender and friend.)
If you don’t, smile for those who do! (They are the ones who protect, defend and befriend.)
The point is. . .Think about all the quips, quotes, antidotes (anecdotes, if your prefer) and
Smile the whole day through.
Mother’s Day
“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.”
~Tenneva Jordan
To my mother, Anita Louise Weston Lee (1919 – 2010):
You Don’t Seem So Far Away
Sometimes you seem so far away
Memorable moments shorten the way
Moments you firmly held my hand
Guiding me along life’s hardened land
Distance spans an epic terrain
Visions of your smile block out any pain
Smiles of delight as well as tears
Carrying us through the roughest years
As tears fall with each passing day
Voice of memory keeps sadness astray
In other words. . .
Though you seem so far away
You are as close as my thoughts
Thoughts remaining ever so clear
Never to fade from year to year
Images implanted in my mind
Lift my spirits at any time
Spirits to refresh my soul
Keeping me toward life’s goal
For you see. . .
Thoughts of you eternally stay
You don’t seem so far away
Echoes ©2012
Sharla Lee Shults
From: catnipoflife
To: all Mothers near and far
May your sons and daughters
Know how special you are
Inspiration: The Butterfly Effect
Yesterday I ‘happened upon’ a Tweet [literally stumbled upon it among hundreds of Tweets] from writer Claire Cappetta that led me to her posting of the day Love and Coffee. Before going any further, be sure you click the link and read Claire’s ‘top of the morning’ greeting! Then, think about what your reaction would be if this happened to you:>) Of course, I smiled to myself as all kinds of thoughts passed through my mind! Um-m-m? Now, where DID I put that old coffee pot I decided to keep for emergency?
As I pondered the situation, Murphy’s Law entered my mind: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The coffee pot scenario seemed to fit since anything manmade will at some point in time ‘decide’ to just quit. It can and it will! Unfortunately, more often than not it doesn’t end there: one thing goes wrong that leads to another that leads to another to another to another. . . and the beat goes on. If it can, it will go wrong and there is nothing that can stop it!
Claire’s posting at least let me start the day with a smile and a laugh along with, of course, hubby’s risque nature:>) However, the day did not proceed so light-heartedly, not even a giggle was able to creep its way in ’til the latter part of the day. In fact, it was hectic from that point on and very mind-taxing with my writing geared toward a totally different direction than that of catnip.
In order for you to understand the discovery and the inspiration that actually led to this posting, you need a little background information. Being an educational consultant, better still an ‘online learning specialist’ (just a fancy title for this ol’ retired school teacher), a lot of writing is necessary in response to the daily evaluations required of teachers’ online submissions. Well, this one video arrived that totally took me by surprise. I watched, I listened, I took notes; I rewatched, I relistened, I retook notes; I watched again, I listened attentively, I took more notes. The phone rang and rang and rang. I picked it up along with every other phone I passed on my way out to the porch, I laid all the phones down on the table and said, ” You answer it!” Then, I slowly turned around and walked back to the computer. A few short minutes later, I heard footsteps and only a head hesitantly appeared in the doorway. “I love you, Babe. Are you all right?” I think the hesitation came about of fear I might snap his head off but he knew the “I love you” gets me every time! He smiled, I trembled, we kissed!
OOPS! Careful 
here, I am getting off track. Anyway, with attention back to the computer and trying to decide how to formulate the feedback, I decided to set it aside for awhile and collect my thoughts. Sometimes writing too quickly in the wrong state of mind can lead to misconceptions and unsupportive comments. That’s when I thought once again about Claire’s morning and I began to smile and giggle to myself. Still at the computer but now with thoughts of coffee and coffee pots I began a Google search. I cannot tell you what keywords I used nor how many searches I made but the words ‘butterfly effect’ caught my eye. Now, what on earth could butterflies have to do with coffee? When I began reading, it was not long before I was laughing but this time outloud, for right in the second paragraph I read . . .”Imagine you wake up in a good mood but then the coffee maker is broken. . . !”
The next morning I found myself chuckling at yesterday’s musings. After many chuckles, the mood was set, I was inspired, and ready to write (hence this posting). Since catnipoflife focuses on life outsite the confines of four walls and a door (maybe a window), I ventured onto the porch with steaming coffee in hand, sat down in the rocking chair and watched as the wonders of nature begin to awaken my senses. Then, I saw the butterflies. I had bookmarked the site I found yesterday so I immediately opened it and read it again.
Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? There IS inspiration here, my friends. Just click the words and you will be directed to Inspiring Yourself at Work. Claire, hope the rest of your day yesterday did not follow the path of the ‘butterfly effect’.
Where will you get your inspiration today?
catnipoflife receives the Sunshine Blog Award
It is indeed an honor to receive this award from Claire Cappetta, who is in the process of completing her first novel, Ride to Liberty. A truly compelling story is about to be shared! In her own words, “Claire is a creative writer and has recently retired from the financial world to concentrate on the dream of publishing a first novel, which follows a woman’s journey through relationships, domestic abuse and empowerment. Although a difficult topic to cover the story is heartwarming.” Be sure to visit Claire’s blog for her 10 nominations for this award. All are inspiring and who knows which one might tug at your heartstrings:>)
Now, it is I who get to GIVE the award by paying it forward again to bloggers who inspire me and bring Sunshine into my blogging life:
May your week be blessed and filled with inspiration!
Inspiration: Meeting the Challenge 2
Roadsides are dotted with clusters of brightly colored daisies engulfed in rain-aided green grasses. The smiling face of each flower brightens the view of fields and ditches along nature’s highway. Butterflies flit and flutter from flower to flower beckoning “come dance with me.” ~catnipoflife
Where do you seek/find inspiration? Perhaps you need only to simply stop, look and listen within your ordinary surroundings for its discovery may take little or no effort at all. Within our daily midst, sights, sounds and smells are waiting to be awakened, explored, enjoyed and shared.
That which is seen with the naked eye is often interpreted differently from individual to individual. With each vision comes thoughts and emotions that may strike an emotional chord of harmony or cast shadows of discord. Through these visions comes the ability to put what is seen only once into words that can last for a lifetime. Of course, thoughts might instead shift to that of a camera with the old adage ‘a picture is better than a thousand words’ immediately coming to mind. But, oh-h-h, how many times has that miraculous once-in-a-lifetime Kodak moment been missed? How many times has it been said or heard, “If I only had my camera. . .” More times that can be counted for sure! Yet, the vision is still there, stored in the scrapbook of the mind. Each time a page is turned in the mind’s diary that vision reappears. The recourse: write about it!
Nature is overflowing in its natural awe-inspiring, breath-taking wonders, none of which more
mystical, nor mysterious, than the butterfly. What is it about this delicate insect that unites the heart with the soul? Some might say it is its symetrical beauty, others feel it has sensory powers of healing, while many purely delight in its wispy nature. Its beauty is consuming, none of which more captivating than when feeding on sugary nectar. (View Beautiful Butterflies from around the world.)
One of the butterfly’s favorite sources of nectar is the flower, especially the daisy. Butterflies and daisies go hand-in-hand within the natural wonders of nature. Watching the butterfly feed is a wonder in itself as it perches atop the flower dipping deep with a strawlike tongue into the rich 
nectar, opening its wings wide, bringing them in again, all the while savoring each drop. Ah-h-h, but this sweet fluid is not the only treat these little insects enjoy. Did you know they also love fruit? Of course, that is totally understandable since the fruits of nature are filled with sweet, natural juices.
Book Connection – Echoes
Inside Echoes, Chapter Three reflects poetry surrounding the beauty of nature. The verses in this chapter reflect Echoes of Life. The poem Butterflies ‘n’ Daisies projects imagery in answer to the question Do you see what I see? Through its reading, you should be inspired as its words guide you toward meeting the challenge of your daily inspiraton!
Butterflies ‘n’ Daisies
Come dance with me!
Mystical, magical butterfly
Holder of dreams, keeper of secrets
Touches so many lives
Bringing comfort without regrets
A simple message received
Or a challenge to be met
Inspires acceptance of life’s struggles
How to let go and accept
Fields of daisies, made of sunshine
Colors of splendor, a butterfly’s lair
Offer a place to linger and find solitude
Resting as though in thoughtful prayer
Butterflies and daisies, of rare beauty
Breath-taking in full summer sun
Reflect the colors of the soul
Instilling love and compassion as one
Kneel down in quiet repose
As though if part of someone’s plan
Let the daisies hug your knees
And the butterfly kiss your hand
©2004
Sharla Lee Shults
“The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough.”
~Rabindranath Tagore
Pinterest and Amazon Author Central
Just joined Pinterest! Also, created my page at Amazon Author Central. Whoa! Advances in technology just keep going and going and going. . . New ‘kid’ on the sites needs some followers:>)
Inspiration: Meeting the Challenge
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
~Leo Buscaglia (1924 – 1998)
Authors are challenged in their writing to reflect senses that can be captured by readers in the manner in which they intended. A paraphrase of a quote by Plato (born c. 428 BC), “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” can be rephrased for the writer into “perception is in the eyes of the reader.” In order for our readers to perceive through their eyes what is proposed by our writings is often a delicate task. Word choice initiates feelings and visions, which if not chosen wisely could totally shift meaning in the wrong direction or portray a completely different image from its intentions.
For most of us, ideas come from our own experiences or stories related to us by family or friends. Thus, it all begins with our perception. It is much easier to feel an emotion by listening to a story being told or read aloud because of the tone and intonation of a person’s voice. For example, if an event depicted a scream in a scene, the actual sound of that person screaming could send chills to the bone, whereas if you read “she screamed as the door opened” might not provoke the same chilling reaction. Our voice, therefore, must become just as powerful but through the medium of the written word.
Periodically I will post verses from Echoes. Within this volume of poetry are five chapters intended to tap into your senses as you focus on the following:
Family and Friends – Do you sense the emotion?
I’m a Believer – Do you believe?
The Beauty of Nature – Do you see what I see?
Good Vibrations – Do you feel the spirit?
Whispers of Yesterday – Do you hear what I hear?
It is hoped you will be touched by words that will evoke personal thoughts and ideas. As these thoughts surface, write them down. Such thoughts could trigger a poem, a story, a personal reflection. Who knows when someone somewhere in time might read them and how a life might be touched in the process.
One Final Thought
“Everything that we presently feel and see moving and taking place in our hearts, our minds, and our lives is His gift to us. We know not what it is or where it is going but He does and He gifts it to you. . .drink in His goodness, savor, and cherish every drop. He gifts it to me. . .I drink it in, savoring and cherishing every drop. May the verses to follow be His instrument of joy to you.”
Below is a sampling. For this poem and more heartfelt echoes, visit/scroll through the page link Echoes from the Heart. Periodically a new poem will be added for your reading pleasure that will hopefully echo emotion of your heart.
Family and Friends – Do you sense the emotion?
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Mornin’ Bustle
Sister’s in the kitchen
Flour from head to toe
Helping make biscuits
Kneadin’ the dough
Window’s open
Curtains flappin’ in the breeze
Mama wipes her brow
”Pass the milk, please”
Potatoes peeled and washed
Are set aside to drain
Thunder in the background
Quickly turns thoughts to rain
A poor man’s gravy becomes
A true Southern surprise
Country ham sizzlin’
Forming perfect red-eyes
Fresh eggs swiftly broken
Crackling in the skillet
Aroma quickly commands
“Come and get it!”
The table’s all set
Coffee steaming in the pot
Biscuits from the oven
Sat down while pipin’ hot
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread
Country ham and bacon
Grandma’s jam and all the rest
Ready for the takin’!
AMEN!
Echoes ©2004
Sharla Lee Shults
catnipoflife 