Monday 2 May 2016

Small and Wonderful things . . .




"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.


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Showers in April that bring lilacs in May  . . .

Can roses be far behind?


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The ability to create . . . to bake, to sew, to knit, to crochet, embroider, paint  . . . working with my hands and making something beautiful or tasty or useful where once there was only a pile of yarn, a blank page, an empty dish, thread and a needle . . .  makes me very happy.  It is a deep thread source of contentment in my life.


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Having someone to hold my hand throughout the ups and downs of life.  A partner.  A friend. A lover.  He is my all.  He is the sense of reason when I want to scream and cry.   He laughs when I laugh.  Shakes his head at my silliness, rejoices in my successes and commiserates with me in my failures.  I love my husband to bits.  He is the other half of me and I am so grateful to have him in my life.  Well, most of the time anyways.  ;-)


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Apple blossoms . . .  they are the promise of fruit in the autumn and they remind me of home, especially at this time of year.   They remind me of my oldest son who was born Apple Blossom weekend back home, which comes at the end of May.   Back home within just a couple of weeks the fields surrounding the area where I spent most of my adult life will be filled with oceans of blossom and the air will be filled with their scent.  Bees will be buzzing from blossom to blossom to blossom, performing their very important job of pollination.  This month will be filled with teas and competitions being held in each community back home in the process of picking their Apple Blossom Princesses, one of which who  will be crowned Queen Annapolisa of the Apple Blossom Festival.




Last year's Queen and her Ladies in Waiting.

 

This is a really big deal to the girls in these communities, and to the communities themselves, and to the Annapolis Valley.   Its been going on now for 84 years.  Traditions which are firmly entrenched in the history and communal soul of this beautiful Valley.  May will be filled with teas and banquets, parades and balls.

All to celebrate . . .  Apple Blossoms.


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Baking days . . .  cake.  I think of all the things I bake I love cake most of all.  Cake says welcome.  Cake says home.  That's probably where the idea of that song "If I'd a known you were coming, I'd of baked a cake" came from.  Cake makes me happy.  I might be able to resist a piece of pie, but I don't think I could ever resist a piece of cake.  Although I know I must.

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Positivity.   Life is much better when your days are embroidered with threads of positive thinking and knots of happy thoughts.  Looking on the bright side of things.   Giving others the benefit of the doubt, seeking out the silver linings.  Never supress a generous thought.  Practice acts of kindness.  Pray for others.  Serve.  The best cure for feeling blue is to wipe your tears and then get out and do something good for someone else.


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Prayer.  I don't know where I would be without it.   It fills my days and nights with joy.  The scriptures tell us to pray continuously and I do . . .  whenever someone's name pops into my head, I say a silent prayer for them . . . .  I continuously offer up prayers of thanksgiving for all of my blessings . . . I pray daily for those I love and care about, for my church leaders, for the missionaries, for those in the world who are hurting.  It is a simple act and needn't be grandiose with flowery words . . . it needn't even be out loud.  Silent prayers from the heart are oftimes the nicest prayers of all.   I can guarantee that if you are a reader of this blog I have said prayers for you on countless occasions.    When things are going badly, as they sometimes do, four little words can mean the world to another.  "I'll pray for you."  Costs nothing but your time and a tiny piece of your heart.  He hears them all.  I guarantee.  We may not always like the answers we get, but answers are always given.  This I know to be true.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . .


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷღೋღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
"The question is not 
whether we will experience
seasons of adversity,
but how we will 
weather the storms."
~Dieter F Uchtdorf
 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷღೋღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Spiritual Enlightenment

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In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Spanish Cake.  It's a simple cake flavoured with cinnamon and topped with a simple Maple fudge frosting and toasted walnuts.  Delicious!


May your week ahead be filled with an abundance of small and wonderful things. Along the way, don't forget . . .

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too!

11 comments:

  1. Good morning Marie. Alas today has been a day when I have had to fight the blahs. So I saw my second cousin who is four this week. I had little boy cuddles and kisses and lunch with them too. It is lovely to hear a voice that calls out, "Aunty Suzan".

    I have done a few jobs. On Saturday Pip made cake and tried this technique called galaxy icing. Interesting for sure. I hope I rediscover my joy of cooking.

    God bless your day and fill it with love.

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  2. Kisses and cuddles are always lovely Suzan! I'm all for more of those! Galaxy Icing sounds interesting. God bless your day also! xoxo

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  3. Looking on the bright side is the best way I know of to live. Hope your Monday is a wonderful one !

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  4. I just love my visits here!!!
    Thank you for your words of wisdom, and the delicious recipes!
    Have a cozy Monday!
    Chilly and rainy for May here in PA. : )

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  5. Have a beautiful day Marie..and yes you create beautifully!

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  6. This is our first spring in the Valley and I can hardly wait for the blossoms to explode. We have a couple of small trees here but there are many orchards lining both sides of the roads I take to do my weekly chores. Along with that, the tractors are humming up and down the copper-coloured fields in neat rows raking and planting. Wish I could just bottle the whole package and send it along to you. I also want to thank you for pointing out the lovely movie, Brooklyn. Watched last week when my husband was away and it really tugged at my heart. Beautiful film. May you have a wonderful week.

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  7. Your the first blog I read each morning Marie! You are a very humble, creative and amazing person...you are blessed!

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  8. I wish for you a wonderful Monday also Pam! I am slow to visit these past few days! I will try to pop over later today! xoxo

    Thanks Billie Jo! It's cold and drizzly here as well! Things are supposed to begin improving however so we will see how it goes! xoxo

    Thanks Monique, you create even more beautiful things than I do! I am in awe of your talents! xoxo

    Oh Colleen, you are in for such a treat! I wish I could be there looking through your eyes, or yes that you could bottle it up and send it to me! Bless you! xoxo

    Thanks so much Unknown! I will take your compliments and treasure them. Not sure they are deserved, but am grateful for them! xoxo

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  9. What a lovely, lovely post Marie. Thank you for your prayers - especially the prayers sent up for our missionaries. Prayer truly can change things because it changes us. Have a wonderful week.

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  10. Ahoy are so right Deb! I love the scripture whic tells us to pray for those who despitefully use you. It is hard not to love someone you are praying for. You have a wonderful week also! Xoxo

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Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!