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.  

 

Haphazardly coming across little reminders of my mom, like letters to my boys, cards, etc.  White feathers.  At first they made me cry and now they make me feel loved and that my mother is still watching over me. It is a great blessing to have loved someone so much in this lifetime that saying goodbye is so very hard and difficult to do. I am always so grateful for the knowledge I have that this life is not all that there is and that we can be with our loved ones again.

Life, believe, is not a dream 
So dark as sages say; 
Oft a little morning rain 
Foretells a pleasant day. 
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom, 
But these are transient all; 
If the shower will make the roses bloom, 
O why lament its fall? 

Rapidly, merrily, 
Life's sunny hours flit by, 
Gratefully, cheerily, 
Enjoy them as they fly!  

 What though Death at times steps in 
And calls our Best away? 
What though sorrow seems to win, 
O'er hope, a heavy sway? 
Yet hope again elastic springs, 
Unconquered, though she fell; 
Still buoyant are her golden wings, 
Still strong to bear us well. 

Manfully, fearlessly, 
The day of trial bear, 
For gloriously, victoriously, 
Can courage quell despair! 
~Charlotte Bronte, Life 

 

The flowers in our garden are looking decidedly tired now, but then  . . .  it is the last day of August 2020.  (How on earth did that happen?)  I am so grateful to live in a country that is so beautiful in all of its seasons, and for the rain that makes it so. 

  

I love being a Grandmother and am very grateful for two sons who make an extra special effort to include me in theirs and their children's lives. Facetime is the next best thing to being there.  Another thing I am grateful for.  This wonderful modern technology which allows me to see my loved ones and talk to them face to face in real time, even though they are thousands of miles away.  

There will be plenty of excitement in their households this week with going back to school, etc.  I would imagine however it feels very different from every other year. This gives me more to pray for. I don't mind. I love to pray for others and especially for family. It is a gift for me, and I hope for them. 

 

The blessing of living in a Temperate Climate.   A place where we get to experience all of the contrasts weatherwise that Mother nature has to share with us . . .  sunny and warm, cold and frosty . . . and yes . . .  dull and rainy!   I have never lived in any other kind of a climate, so I cannot imagine what it would be like to live in a climate where it was always hot and humid, or always cold and frigid . . .  or dry and dusty.   I love that I get to experience a much wider variety of weather types.   Even if I don't always appreciate that it is raining, I do value the fact that it is the frequent rain that makes this country I live in so beautiful and green.   I am grateful for that.  As Anne Shirley would say, I am so glad that I live in a world with Octobers! I do think that next to December, October is my favourite month of the year.  Only 31 more days!  (counting today) 

 

Early mornings on my own. I enjoy my me-time. I am not anti-social, but I am a person who enjoys their own company.  The only ones here are me and you, my invisible friends . . .  and Mitzie of course.   I am alone with my thoughts with no interruption . . .  save a wet cold nose ever now and again nudging my shins, reminding me she is still there.   A quick tickle behind her ears and she is happy and goes back to sleep.  The only sounds are the tap tap tapping of the computer keys, Mitzie's soft snores and the morning chorus regalling me from the back garden. 

   

 For sweet days that are wrapped up in the gift paper of sun-rises and sun-sets and the ability I have to be able to enjoy both. There are only a few weeks of the year where I do not have the priveledge of witnessing both.  With the days getting shorter now, I am back to the joy of having both embroidering my days again.   Oh how very lucky I am.  

 

Enjoying this life while I can and being able to dance through it.  I have always loved music and I have always loved dancing to it.  I dance by myself most of the time. Todd says he has no rythym.  I don't care if I have rhthym or not, I'm dancing whenever I can!  Life flows easier if you can dance a little bit. Admittedly my steps are becoming a lot slower these days. 

 

When I think back over these last six months, I am in awe.  Despite being pretty much chained to our homes we have been blessed with plenty.  We are not wealthy. You probably couldn't even call us comfortable, but we are so blessed to have every one of our needs met.  That is no small thing in a world where so many have  nothing.  I hope I never take the blessing of having enough for granted. 

 

I have always been loved  . . .  by my parents, my siblings  . . .  friends, partners, children, grandchildren . . .  I have always been loved.  My Heavenly Father loves me most of all and with a perfect love that we cannot comprehend or even put into words.  I am grateful for that knowledge and for love, both the perfect and imperfect . . .  

  

Having someone to share my abundant life with . . . a husband, a family,  a pet, friends . . .  you.  Love, joy, peace, comfort  . . .  all that is good in life is doubled when shared with others.  Magically all that is bad or that makes us sad or fearful is halved when shared with others.  Sharing  . . .  a blessing in and of itself, no matter which way you look at it.   

 

 

 I am so grateful for my son's help in getting rid of that site that was stealing my content.  I am sure it is not the last time my content will be stolen, but I am pretty sure this particular lot won't steal it again.  They know now that I won't let them get away with it.  My son was so helpful in this.  He did what I had no knowledge of how to do. I could not have done this without him and his help!  I am so grateful for his willingness to help me with whatever.  He has been blessing my life for more than 45 years now.  That's amazing!

 

You can share many things with many people in life, but there is something extra special about the bond between sisters.  Your first best friend. Someone to cry with, someone to laugh with . . . someone who sometimes understands you better than you understand yourself. Through goodtimes and through bad. A constant in your life, for all of your life.  I love mine so much.   

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *There are seven days

in the week,

and someday isn't 

one of them.

~Unknown  •。★•。★★ 。* 。

 •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 

 

There is quite a fun recipe in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Pancake Soup.  Also known as Crepe Soup or Fladlesuppe.  This is such a simple soup, but oh so delicious.  Very similar to chicken noodle soup except the noodles are tightly rolled up pancakes.  Yummy!  

I hope your week ahead is filled with loads of small and wonderful things and your cup runneth over with blessings.  Don't forget! 

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And I do too!