A reason to smile...

Image by Lenka Novotná

"https://pixabay.com/users/jplenio-7645255

Image by Cindy Lever

"Looking at beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind."

Amit Ray

As the world seems to be enveloped in the unknown, I find myself needing more reasons to reach for a smile. Nature always provides! Whether it's being outside and hugging a tree, observing from my window or looking at beautiful pictures from the internet. The beauty and wonder of nature never cease to amaze me. It's free and accessible to all. May you find what makes you smile today!

From where do you draw your energy...

 

 I draw my energy from many things, people and places...

 Being in my home surrounded by all the things I love

Having all my children together

Laughing and sharing with friends

A long walk along the beach

Walking in my backyard

Watching the sunset

Sitting under a tree

Finding quiet time 

Sustains...

It is the twentieth day of December and there hasn't been one day yet, with a day off. It has been busy busy busy and I'm feeling the need to connect with nature and hug a tree! And if it wasn't so cold outside, I'd plant my feet in the grass and feel grounded. I haven't even been out in my backyard to check on my garlic that's growing. But things will slow down soon and I will reconnect once again to what sustains me ~ Mother Nature!

Tree...

Another tree, another Christmas! Each year we gather around the living room sharing stories and memories about each ornament that is placed on the tree. Some were from my childhood, some are from family and friends, and some where made when the kids were young. I could sit for hours with all the room lights off and just watch the twinkling lights on the tree making the decorations sparkle. It's a happy time, a happy place...

In Awe...

When the fall season comes, I am always full of anticipation for this beautiful specimen of a tree right outside my back door. I'm sure I posted about it last year and maybe even the year before. I never get tired of seeing the spectacular color that is so close I can touch it. There are days I just stand outside or look outside my patio window "in awe" of its presents. It really isn't any different then any other tree that has turned yellow in the fall but I think because it is so up close and personal that I find amazing. I am just glad it chose me to hang out with!

End of my Week in Pictures...

Cute little shoes left my a sweet child to busy living life to remember they left their shoes!

A weed has beauty

A single rose petal fluttered to the ground

Mini tree growing where it was planted

Pretty fern like plants randomly growing beneath my feet

A polka dotted leaf

Beauty left behind after the rose petals fall off

One day collection of leaves

I loved this metal shaped tree that someone had mounted on the side of their house

My butterfly still blooming in mid-October

Swing...

Today as I was out walking a dog, we came across a swing hanging from a tree. I had to smile thinking of all the love, laughter and joy that must be hanging around it. A swing just offers an invitation for FUN. I still enjoy a good swing to swing on ~ it feels so carefree!

Travels...

In my travels today, I passed a huge tree that had come out of the ground and fallen over. My first thought was "wow, what an magnificent tree and look at those amazing roots." Then I thought, " I hope when my time has come to return to the earth, that people are as in awe at the roots I've put down in my life and what a magnificent person I had become.

Capture...

I was coming back from a trip to the grocery store and it was about 10 minutes after 5 in the evening. The setting sun was so beautiful, leaving a golden hue lingering behind the barren tree limbs. I got my cell phone out to try and capture the moment, but it wasn't working. It was a good reminder that some present moments aren't meant to be captured, only enjoyed and let go.

Trust...

"A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not in the branch but on it's own wings. 

Always believe in yourself."

 A life long challenge...~

With each new experience I believe a little more, and after awhile, all the little experiences that offer an opportunity to "believe" add up, and I can believe more and more in myself! I can fear a little less that the branch may break from under me because...

I trust in my own wings~ 

A Tree...

It's a tree I look for when I go somewhere and need to park. It's not always the case but my love of trees draws me to them whenever possible, even if it's in a parking lot. I need trees to surround me, or at least be close enough that I can get to them. One of my dreams is to see the big Red Wood and all there magnificence.  A tree provides, shelter, comfort and strength for me. A true "tree hugger" I am!

The Crack...

When I saw this picture it made me think about how our imperfections don't take away from our beauty.  Like this tree that has a large crack in it, doesn't take away from it's magnificence. When we are in the present moment we are more focused on only the beauty that surrounds us and not focused on the things we find  "wrong."

Room to Grow...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Anytime I see a tree out in a clearing like this, it reminds me of my children and other people in my life. When you give them open space and room to grow, it's amazing how big they can be. As my children are becoming older it is even more important to give them lots of space to find their way in this world. And my job is to be there with open arms filled with love and acceptance. To offer that safe place to fall and be their cheerleader.