Monday 17 February 2020

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.  



New Beginnings.   Each day is a new beginning, a fresh page as it were . . . the opportunity to begin again, to do better . . . clean and fresh and unwritten upon.  A new opportunity.  You don't need to wait until the end of the year to begin again.  You can begin again right now!  It's kind of exciting when you think about it! 



My study of the Book of Mormon.  Every year in your church we have an opportunity to study a canon of scripture and this year it is the Book of Mormon. I love the Book of Mormon.  The prose in it is inspiring and life affirming. The more I study it the more I realise how inspired it is. No man could have "written/translated" this book at the time it was written in the time it took to write it. Not with the back-woods education that Joseph Smith had.  Its doctrines are deep, and yet so very simple.  I had been taught in the past that it was inspired by Satan but why would Satan inspire  a book that does nothing but affirm the diety of Jesus Christ? Page after page it testifies of Christ and His atonement, His love for God's children.  I just think it is an amazing book and in studying it I have come closer to the Saviour than I could ever have imagined. I don't know why people are so afraid of it. 


Fairy Lights.  I am a fairy light kind of person. A life accompanied with fairy lights is a life embroidered with joy.  Romantic.  Whimsical. Endearing.  Fun.  


“If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise.” 
~Jeannette Walls


Watching the sun come up each morning. We have had some spectacular sunrises this month.  Lots of rain to be sure as well, but stunning sunrises when it is dry.  Early morning is my favourite time of the day.  It feeds my soul in a very special way. 




Hugs.  Real ones.  Imaginary Ones.  Soft ones.  Hard ones.  Quiet ones.  Loud ones. All hugs.   They do something special to a heart.  Where would we be without hugs.?  I can't bear to think of a world without hugs!  


Snow drops. When these arrive can Spring be very far behind?  I think not. Actually signs of new life are popping up all over the place.  Our hydrangea is breaking into leaf as are the roses. It seems pretty early to me. 


Faith. Where would we be without it.  Sometimes it is an exercise in faith just to get out of bed in the morning, nevermind anything else. We exercise our faith when we step out of the house, hoping that we will be safe and that we will return in a like manner.  We fall in love, hoping that our love will be returned and believing that it will.  Faith is something we all use everyday in a multitude of ways. 

   

The Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay.
Love isn't Love til you give it away.
~unknown


A loving heart.  My life has been made immeasurably better by being loving and by reaching out to others with that love.  I am also truly grateful for all the loving hearts that have reached out to me through the years!  Money doesn't make the world go around, love does! 


 

 Music.  My life is filled with it.  Always has been.   I love music and I cannot imagine a world without music.  Have you ever watched a young child enjoying music?   Their bodies move naturally with the rhythm.  They bob up and down and rock back and forth . . .  nobody needs to show them what to do.  They just do it and they do it with a complete lack of fear of being seen.   Grateful for the songs in my life and my ability to abandon myself into the music.  Dance like there's nobody watching. Sing as if nobody were listening. 


  

Its hard to believe this wee girl will be turning 9 in the next week to come.  Where has the time flown. I posted her out a card of course.  I always stick a wee something in it. This time it was stickers along with the always five pound note. 

   


She has turned into such a beautiful young girl.  In her I can see her mother and her father.  I also very much see my mom.  She looks happy.  I hope that she is always happy. I remember her mother wanting to have her ears pierced for the longest time before my ex would let her have them done.  My two girls had them done together at the same time.  God willing one day she will know who I am or who I was. 



So grateful for the Brownies and the Girl Guides that were a huge part of my growing up years. They taught me so much, many lessons which I have never forgotten and which have held me in good stead throughout my lifetime.  "To do my duty to God and my Country, to help other people every day, especially those at home." We were taught to be good citizens of the world.  



Life is pretty good in general.  As I have gotten older I have come to realise that it is the small things which count the most, that my needs are simple and that once they are met, I really have everything.  To love and be loved.  To have shelter and warmth and food in my belly. To have someone to share it with.  To be able to reach out to others and to serve . . .  to care for others.  Truly care. My faith. My faculties. My health. My family.  Something to read, something to create. To be able to write and to think, to study and to learn.  To end each day as a better person than I was as I began the day.This is everything. 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 


° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *
"The sign of a beautiful person is that
he always sees beauty in others."
~Omar Suleiman
•。★★ 。* 




In the kitchen today   . . .  Chicken & Dumpling Casserole for two.  Easy and delicious. 

Have a wonderful Monday. I hope your week ahead is all that you hope it to be and more.  Don't forget! 

 
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And I do too!  











6 comments:

  1. Full of gratitude..love it..hold on tight:)
    She is such a lovely girl!
    Your faith is such an asset Marie..

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    1. Thanks Monique! My faith is what gets me through Monique! Don't know where I would be without it! xoxo

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  2. Hi Marie~

    Love this post! I'm not a morning person, I stay up too late, don't sleep very good and usually sleep in a little. I need to figure out how to sleep better so I can enjoy mornings. Once in a while I get up early, and sometimes, I am able to enjoy the sunrise. I so admire people like you who cherish the mornings!

    I love the Book of Mormon! I have never understood why people think it's evil, or that it was written by, Joseph Smith. Truly, a young uneducated man could not have written this book, with all of it's truthfulness and witness of God's love for us. I have loved the, Come Follow Me program this year, it has really helped me understand and love this wonderful scripture even more!

    My life would not be the same without music! Last night my children were all here, and I don't know how it happened, but they started playing their version of, name that tune. I didn't play, but watched, and smiled a lot. They are really good at knowing music from every genre, and they said that it's because there was always music playing in the house and the car. My grands were even guessing some of the songs...it made my heart happy.

    Your granddaughter is just beautiful!! She reminds me of her grandmother as well :0) I hope she has a wonderful birthday! I hope that one day she will be able to know you...you are an amazing woman and grandmother!!

    The other day I needed a button, so I was going through my button jar to find one. While I was looking for the right button, I found my old brownie pin! No idea how it got there! I loved Brownies and have some really good memories of my time there.

    I agree, the less I have the better I feel. I am surrounded by things that I love, they're not new things, but they are things that make me happy. When I de-junk, it's always the newer things that go, not the old familiar things.

    Your Chicken and Dumpling Casserole looks amazing...yum!!

    Have a really wonderful week! Know that you are loved XOXO

    Hugs and Love,
    Barb

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    1. How wonderful that you found your own Brownie Pin Barb! We moved around too much when I was growing up and then again as an adult, not a lot of things were saved from then in my family. Sad, but true. I cherish what I do have, like you! Love and hugs and happy week to you also! xoxo

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  3. Faith, Family and Friends, these are the important things in life...

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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!