Ten Beautiful Things.....July 2008

I have been kind of grieving over the fact that I have not had beautiful "things" to see this smoky summer........

........woe is me. :)

And, then, Thursday evening, just before dusk, I drove into town, and I do what I always have done, for almost two decades, and certainly all this summer..................I smiled to myself, GIDDY, every time I see the wild sweet peas all over my hometown area. I LOVE sweet peas............they are April's flowers........and April is MY month. And, they are every where............I can't wait for them to arrive to arrive each year............as it means summer is finally HERE. I watch them growing on the sides of roads.........till they bloom......and bloom and bloom. I just love their smell.........don't you?

Those sweet peas reminded me that I cannot find Ten Things Beautiful. I have been trying.........and it just depressed me to look up at the mountains. Being the optimist that I am, I decided I had to get rid of that negative thought, and to search out ten beautiful things, IN SPITE OF the smoke. I thought out my plan and kept my eyes low, out of the smoke, looking for beauty. I just had to lift my spirits. :) And, I guess that means..........look LOW!

So, here is what I came up with yesterday, in no particular order:

1. Sweet Peas...........everywhere around here...................around every turn in the road..........they are so familiar to me............my heart and eyes expect them............and they prove themselves all summer. I wait expectantly each June............it does my heart good, trusting God, that out of the depths of winter.......I KNOW He will always return the sweet peas to me.

Taken June, 2006.

Taken June, 2006......Paddy (3 1/2) and Malachy (4 1/2), playing and exploring a field of sweet peas. Paddy belongs to Willa and we will be leaving tomorrow to go visit them for a week. This is the photo Anne has on her computer desktop.

2. Miss Miranda's sweet smile and yummy smell when she got out of the bath to give me a goodnight hug Thursday night. Five year olds are so yummy, aren't they!?!

Miss Miranda visiting with us and our kitties last week.

3. Miss Miranda's mommy: Louise...........got to love her beauty, both physically (great smile, sparkly eyes and gorgeous skin........love the dark colors God painted her........) and the beauty within her soul. She has a great big heart............and I love my friendship with her........and scrapbooking at her house, as often as we can. :)

4. Amazing sunsets through the smoke..............see previous post.

5. The little plastic "bubbles" Miss Miranda left in the dirt and flowers in front of her garage........they look like little fairy bubbles...........and I was so delighted when my eye caught them. I definitely had to look low to catch them! :)

6. The other wildflowers growing on the side of the roads.......and in the meadows I drive by daily. Yellow is an especially prominent color!

7. I passed so many beautiful ponds during my drives on Thursday. The reeds growing in the ponds are so pretty........love the strength they bring to my mind.

8. The little Western Scrub Jay hopping across my road as I drove out to town.

photo from google

9. Delicious kitties cuddling together.......all day, every day. Malachy cannot get his fill. He drags me out of the house, sometimes a few times a day, to see what they are up to......."how cute they are! Take their picture!"

Our sweet babies

10. "Farmer Jacob".........you know, like Farmer John. My friend Shawna and her husband, Jacob, have just purchased 11 acres of beauty.......ponds, streams, wildflowers, birds, dragonflies..............etc. Oh, and A LOT of work. :)

So, I drove onto her drive-way yesterday, and there was Farmer Jacob, which I vowed to call him from now on a few weeks ago when he and Matthew were lifting hay bales.........yesterday he was standing by the pasture fence, tying the sprinkler to the fence with wire........just like I see farmers do all the time..............they are always messing with their fences, you know. :) Anyway...........seeing Jacob there brought a grin to my face........and he was wearing his usual great grin. I said: "And this work will never end".......and He said: "And, this is only the beginning." Another big grin. He is SO happy. :)

So, there you have it! I actually came up with more..............maybe for another day!

I feel better already........and today, I could even see more beauty, now that I have changed my attitude! :)

God bless,

Chari

Ten Beautiful Things.....May 2008

I actually wrote this on April 5th and never got it up. So me.

I wonder if anything seems outdated??



Ten Beautiful Things........

I thought about today (on April 5th :) ).

1. Based on a recent discussion at 4 Real, an online Catholic Homeschooling Community..........I got to thinking about things......and realized that 4 Real is one of the most beautiful places on this earth...........my co-moderators are some of the most beautiful people, the members, too........I love them all, and the beauty and generosity they share. I thank God for them often, as I would be quite isolated in my little world here at the top of the state, without them.

2. Mount Shasta after a recent snowstorm.

3. My 17 year old son reciting poetry.

4. The generosity of my 6 year old son.

5. My husband and three teenagers, talking into the night. Yes, they, I mean WE, all pay for it later........but the bonding and memory-making is irreplaceable. Does anyone else have this happen in their house? (HA! Happened yet AGAIN, last night!.......and, it is outdated.......I actually have FOUR teenagers now........though the younger one will not be up late much for awhile........she knows how to put herself to bed most of the time :) )

6. My husband dancing.........especially with his daughters. He has such class. He gets it from his dad. Sometimes I am jealous of the girls........I have two left feet :(

7. The innocent and trusting look in my two golden retrievers eyes, when they see you coming.

8. Our roosters..........especially when they let all of their plummage show. I love to just STARE at them...............even though their crowing can make me nuts. I actually have FIVE roosters! They rarely fight..............and they never seem to die.

9. The Story the Rosary tells........I LOVE the meditation.

10. How beautiful little children are when they give up, and fall asleep. Only one more left in my home. :(

So, I challenge YOU to look for TEN beautiful things around you, too. If you do, please post on your blog, and leave a note in my comments section so I can come see your list. If you do not have a blog, please leave a list in my comments section. If I remember, I will try to do this at least once a season. My first list is here.

Enjoy the beauty......it is everywhere around us! Blessed be God!

~C~

PS..............I may just try to see what today brings, too.

Ten Beautiful Things.....

............. I noticed today.

1. The sun rising over the snowy world........we have had the snowiest January in 40 years. The snow after the first weekend in February, in my front yard, is as tall as my shoulder, and even taller than me on one edge. I am 5'5".

2. The geese flying in a V over my head, listening to their honking.

3. The sun lighting up Black Butte, covered in snow. Black Butte is small extinct volcano. We have wonderful views of it from our property.

4. The appearance of Mt Shasta after its disappearance a week ago.......completely covered in pure, white snow.

5. The sun setting over the Eddies, lighting up the clouds, with various shades of pink and yellow. The Eddies (mountains) are the view from our backyard. We have some of the most glorious sunsets, year round.

6. The sparkle in the snow.......like jewels glistening.

7. The snow in trees.......I just love the snowy decorations on the evergreen trees.

8. A meadow completely covered in snow, except for a pond, shaped like a stream, where ducks were floating....I love this meadow, year round, passing it sometimes daily. I just love the seasonal changes, and I frequently stop, just to savor the view.

9. Christmas lights in the snow......the snow came fast and furious before most folks got their Christmas lights down. It is so fun, to drive home in the dark, with Christmas lights lighting up the snow falling, and giving colored reflections off of the fallen snow. It is especially lovely when the lights give color to an evergreen covered in snow.

10. The glow in the fire as the flames leap. We heat our house only by woodstove. A few times a week find me sitting and staring into the flames enjoying their dance....perfect for meditation, or just basic "spacing out." :)

I originally wrote this list approximately February 2nd. It takes awhile for me to actually get to the blog. Have you noticed? :)

So, I challenge YOU to look for TEN beautiful things around you, too. If you do, please post on your blog, and leave a note in my comments section so I can come see your list. If you do not have a blog, please leave a list in my comments section.

If I remember, I will try to do this at least once a season.

Enjoy the beauty......it is everywhere around us! Blessed be God!

~C~