Burs of Life

The burs of life seem to follow us like the burs we pick up in the woods. Some are more noticeable than others and can be quickly removed. Others are not so noticeable. They stay with us until we are ready to clean things up, remove them and move on. The burs are not always bad things, as with the burs in the woods. They are seeds from which new things can be grown. Knowing what will grow from them gives us our direction, and how we sow those seeds is what makes the differences in our lives.

Hidden Beauty

We find beauty in many things and in many places. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, as they say. We can spend a lifetime looking for it everywhere; and sometimes, do not find it. Even though there may already be beauty right under our own two feet.

The Inevitable

As the colors of Autumn slowly take over the woods and fens, we are reminded of, the inevitability of change. The change comes slowly at first, but it does and will come. We can't stop it no matter how hard we may try to wish it away. The colors change from bright greens to ambers, golds and crimsons. The air fills with a crisp new freshness. The mind and the senses can be overwhelmed, but the change will be beautiful.

Sunshine, On My Shoulders....

....makes me happy, as the John Denver classic says. With the warm rays of the late summer, evening sun warming the body, a walk through a field of sunflowers warms the spirit. Peace and contentment fills the air. Love and security fills the soul. Life is good!

Feelings of Fall

As the summer weather reluctantly gives way to cooler temperatures of early fall, color starts to return to the woods and fens. The mornings, evenings and nights become cooler and motivation returns to the inner spirit. Time seems to pass more quickly this time of year, as does life itself. Maybe it is because we are as reluctant to give up on summer, as nature herself, and resist the change. Seasons change just as lives change. Welcome the change.

Mother of Pearl

I don't know how long I've had this shell. It was given to me by my oldest aunt, who lived in Alabama. She was my gardening aunt and taught me a lot about how to grow things. Every year, when we went to visit the family, she would have plants from her gardens ready for me to bring home. My parents were not gardeners at the time, so it was up to me to find places for them and nurture them. She gave me this shell, which sat in the gardens at my parent's house, until they passed away and we sold the house. It then moved to one of my gardens, where it will remain. It has never lost any of it's color or luster.

Thanks Aunt Alphie.