Dear Reader:

I mentioned the other day (on one of the earlier blog posts) that a friend (Ginga Cuthbert Wilder) had wished me a Happy Birthday greeting on Facebook and added this line:

“Blessings on Your Next Trip Around the Sun”

This birthday greeting really caught my imagination…I could picture myself floating in space staring down at our blue planet from every angle… as I encircled it day by day for 365 days… until my next natal day arrived…another year of life.

However…I wasn’t alone in space …off in the distance other world citizens, who share my same birthday, were following my same orbit at the same pace…we were all ages, races, and nationalities.

There was something else, too, circling the sun with all of us “same day birthday humans” on our unique orbit…blessings! The blessings appeared as “memory grams”…individually delivered to the exact person who had experienced a special episode in their life..which in turn … morphed into a blessing memory.

The “memory grams” were highly selected benchmark memories filled with blessings we received on the last trip around the sun…even on some of the saddest days we had experienced in the past year. It was only now, as we started our new trip around the sun,  that we could finally recognize different events that happened to us…as blessings and not misfortunes.

If we are growing, each year, elevating ourselves to a higher level of understanding between ourselves and our Creator…then we must recognize the connection between events, causes, and blessings.

The major change-agent, in our developing perceptions of events in our lives, centers around the newly acquired ability to “pivot” or alter our orbit (just a little) each year…just enough to change our recognition of once ordinary events into extraordinary.

It is similar to a basketball player who pivots  just enough to elude his guard and get a better glimpse at his goal…the basket. In life it is our “pivots” that direct us in the right direction too…so we can meet the goal of being the person God intended us to be.

So this year we should all start our new 365-day journey around the sun…(following our birthday) with the acquisition of the birthday “gifts” we take with us from the generations who came before us…the passed down “pivots” of stories and experiences that help us recognize the difficult days ahead as blessings that humble us into restoring our trust and faith in God.

So until tomorrow….

At the end of one’s journey we should be thankful we found the courage to realize that blessings are always bigger than problems… if we just “pivot” enough to find that clear space guiding us to our life’s purpose.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Go Clemson! Once again I am having to use my ears to listen to the game…since it is being only carried by the ACC Network and not a national station….very disappointing to all of us fans who don’t have this network. We ‘po but proud’ “Basic Cable” Clemson fans want to watch too? Will just have to wait and watch highlights today…still GO TIGERS! Did you hear me? 🙂

Dear Reader:

I have a close friend who has been going through some of the most trying times of her life…so, of course, friends and family are calling and offering prayers…but actually I love what my friend says about her personal “prayers” ….she just converses with God each day.

I can think of no better definition for prayer than a ‘conversation with God.’  The more I thought about it…the more I realized that this is what I do too….unconsciously but quite easily. 

I can see a new bloom on a plant in the garden and get all excited…I find myself  looking around for someone to share my joy with and then hear myself whispering, “Look at that God…Have you ever seen anything that beautiful?”

I pause and then laugh….“Of course You have…You’re God….You created it and gave it to me as a gift and what a gift….thank You!”

I love just talking to God about life in general…though I am sure He must have to harbor as much patience as possible with me…like a parent of a two or three year old….”But WHY God?”  I ask the “Why?” questions constantly. 🙂

Still just being “Together” is my favorite place to be. And the nicest thing about having God as one’s friend…is that there is no place I visit or travel…that He isn’t already there. Quite convenient and comforting!

Even more comforting is the realization that I can love God with reckless abandon because I don’t have to fear not being loved in return.

This idea reminded me of a story from British author Hannah Hurnard in her bestseller Hind’s Feet on High Places...”The Message of the Narcissus.”

One day Hannah took a walk down a rather slippery slope which lead to a wooded area and a valley far below. Covering all three terrains were multitudes and multitudes of Narcissus (daffodils and jonquils.)

When Hannah stopped and stood among the flowers she made a fascinating discovery. They all, without exception, faced down the hill as if straining to see the valleys far below. They all leaned forward in their desire to see something in the distance that made them eternally happy.

While standing among the hundreds of daffodils…Hannah saw only their shiny white backs…but if she turned and looked up the slopes she noticed, among the multitudes of daffodils….“little faces, each with a gold crown in their hearts.” 

The message that went straight to her soul was beautiful, but not one she ever expected. The Narcissus spoke to her “Abandon yourself to loving because love is life and eternal joy. Love is the only thing that matters. Dare to be happy.”

So until tomorrow…

None of us should “settle” for living life marginally. Life is meant to be lived “BIG” with as much zest and gusto in it as we can discover. Accepting anything less is living an unfulfilled life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh 

Follow-up on the Harvest Moon….I must admit the moon last night didn’t seem to follow all the information written about it….Oh it was beautiful alright….but it took forever to show itself. 

I kept looking and looking….I thought it was supposed to appear early after the sunset so farmers could keep harvesting their crop by its light. Well last night…it would have been too dark to even find a pitchfork… much less use it. 

Around 8:00 I thought I caught a glimpse and followed it to the golf course…there in front of the pavilion, with an open area on the course minus trees,  it was slowly starting to rise. I tried taking shots with my iPhone but moons of this beauty are best remembered inside the head…not on an iPhone. As you can see in the grainy photo.

I was also a little disappointed that it was white and smaller than I thought it would be…wasn’t it supposed to  be huge with a yellowish tint…all paintings and some pictures of the Harvest Moon look golden…at least a little yellowish or orange-ish?

I was happy I saw it…but sometimes I would just rather climb into a beautiful painting or even my imagination with a huge yellow Harvest Moon in the background… and sit on a fence next to a red barn listening to cows moo their approval of the golden orb above them …and me. P.S.  Haystacks and pumpkins are delightful but optional! 🙂

Last evening should have been the Harvest Moon sighting…we had a beautiful sunset with red/orange tint, outlines of black scary looking trees, and the porch glowed as evening approached.

Dear Reader:

One of my favorite quotes that I remind myself to recall when I’m getting down on myself about something…is the idea that each flower doesn’t think of competing with the flower next to it…it just blooms.

What is it with us humans and competition? Why do we think we always have to better someone else to get ahead? Upon reflection…isn’t so much of our short time on earth wasted trying to out-shine or out-do someone else? Isn’t standing on our own merits enough…it sure will be… if we have given it our all!

If we could just learn to follow our own passion…that God-given gift that makes us unique….that makes us want to get up in the mornings and do something nice for the world…  not worrying if someone else is doing something better than us. After all “better” is very subjective…defined only by differing outlooks that have nothing to do with our inner energy and passion.

*I had an epiphany yesterday when I had gotten this far in the post….I looked out my window and I thought initially I saw a flicker of red in a tall tree near the bird feeder. It must be Sammy the Cardinal I thought excitedly…my favorite cardinal. So I decided to stop and go outside to try to take a picture of him before he flew away. *I haven’t seen much of Sammy lately.

But when I got outside it was the very first cluster of orange trumpets growing near the top of a tree that had  caught my vision. I love to see them return and this was the only sighting of the fall season thus far. It made my day!

I then had my second epiphany….What makes the orange trumpet vine clusters stand out are the beautiful green leaves framing the scene. I re-thought the title quote:

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower“ Albert Camus

In the spring… flower blooms take center stage… with leaves reduced to playing back-up for the grand spring floral production. But in the fall…the patiently awaiting leaves, once the back-ups… now get their time to shine in all the different colors of the rainbow…and more!

Look at these birch leaves I found on a blog called microscope….(gorgeous photography!) Now the leaves are the stars of fall like the flowers had been in spring and summer.

We have to trust in our Creator that our day in the sun will come…we must prepare for it so when it happens…we are not only ready…we are immersed in our “second spring in life”….a second peak time on one’s life. We must never think time has passed us by…there is always time to make a difference in someone else’s life.

We just have to always be willing to change…change isn’t risky…stagnant is.

So until tomorrow….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I made a change in decor a few days ago…I had originally placed the BOO hangings on each front door….but then found these gorgeous wreaths for the two front doors in a closet I was cleaning out. I hung the BOO hangings on the fence by the garden and moved the wreath to my front doors. Meant to be….

Oops…gotta go…the sun is slowly sinking and I must be ready to go watch the Harvest moon climb up, up, up into the October skies. I am so excited! Hope everyone remembered to go see this beautiful gift of autumn…and it is free for the viewing!

Dear Reader:

Anne texted me yesterday sharing this idea she had just finished working on….a pumpkin that says “I am thankful for”… and then for each day of October…(starting today until Halloween)…using a black marker or sticky labels or colored pens…whatever your preference…to write down one thing you are thankful for.

Pinterest had several samples on their site….here are a few:

As you can see it looks like families were a lot more thankful for things than just one thank you a day for 31 days…Anne said she was in such a thankful mood Monday she started filling up hers faster than she could write…she thinks she will definitely have to purchase another pumpkin before the end of October.

I have gotten my annual drip drip fall chest congestion …When I felt the first drip drop down my throat I hurried and got some heavy duty Robitussin...thinking how smart I was….to no avail. It just got worse with my cough and my raspy voice.

With my compromised immune system I always end up having to get an antibiotic and/or a prescription cough syrup. My sweet Dr. Montoya face-timed me yesterday afternoon…and called in all the antibiotics as I hoped…I want to get well so I can enjoy this fall weather outside.

So I couldn’t go pumpkin hunting yesterday…but since I literally live in Pumpkinville  :)....I could choose any one of my artificial pumpkins and add “blessings” to it…since I found one of Honey’s clay “Blessings” signs in one of the pumpkin boxes….blessings and thank you’s both work well!

….And my first blessing is to thank Anne Peterson for stopping by a favorite/Greek/Italian diner in town yesterday… to pick up my beloved fettuccine alfredo! What a lovely surprise! It was still hot and felt so good going down my sore throat….

I must admit, as much as I love my birth month of September, October is probably my favorite month of the year. It is the month we normally first experience cool, dry weather, as well as, the first frost.

And oh, the sounds and scents of October are heavenly…crisp leaves fluttering down the street ….dancing in delight by a chilly wind…the scents of bonfires, slow-cooking stews, hot buttered bread….my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I love going into Charleston in the fall….the colors are at their brightest and most beautiful.

So until tomorrow….Take a moment to give thanks for all we have and blessing for those around us who love us and support us…family and friends for all the seasons!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Anne’s watercolors of orange zinnias just pop in October!

Okay….It is the first day of the month…October…Get Ready! It is time to say “RABBIT…RABBIT”! October is too pretty to take a chance at getting any bad “mojos” this month! I am working on getting rid of mine…quickly as possible. 🙂

I want to start my “thank you’s” this month with all of you readers…I appreciate your support and comments more than you will ever realize. Happy October to one and all!

OOPS! I almost forgot! Remember the Fall of 2020 is memorable because we get to enjoy three moons…the Corn Moon was in September but the Harvest Moon is TONIGHT and the Blue Moon will shine Halloween night…seems fitting. A full moon to start and end October.

Last night I had to sit 15 minutes in the CVS parking lot because my two antibiotic prescriptions weren’t ready…and I saw the moon! It was unbelievable last night…can only imagine what it will look like tonight…..Everyone remember to get outside and take a look.

And this Harvest Full Moon tonight should really look like one we see in paintings because it will be located close to fiery red Mars…making it even more beautiful….catch it early as it rises at its largest!

Dear Reader:

I remember attending a local southern authors’ convention held in Asheville one year. After listening to several question and answer sessions with recognizable authors…one, less-known, writer responded with a memorable answer to this question ….“Do you always have your ending in place before you start writing?”

“Initially I did,” she replied with some deliberation…”I would work backwards…creating all kinds of different scenarios with the characters to get to the set ending.” 

“Until one day…I overheard a conversation in a grocery store that sparked a great story idea….but no conclusion or ending. I didn’t realize that I had put myself in a rut by relying on my “backwards writing style.”

“I was terrified about the direction my imagination would lead me without an ending…yet, as scared as I was…suddenly I felt freer than ever before in my writings. It was exhilarating….like real life…riding the highs and lows without warning or preparation, yet still managing to land on my feet in conclusion. Since that first experience I never relied on an ending first. I still write by “the seat of my pen.” 

The audience laughed and quite frankly… until I saw the title quote for the blog post today… I had forgotten this incident. After reading the ‘chirp’ it came flooding back.

“Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” Bob Goff.

Immediately I thought of yesterday’s post where I shared my one and only nostalgic memory of my “Pop.” (my father) For decades there was no “title” to the childhood remembrance until I gave it a title “The Double Lollipop and Pop.” 

Don’t we all live our lives without knowing the ending…each of our stories is made more precious for the not-knowing. It forces us to live in moments instead of minutes, hours, day, months, and years.

If we want our stories to be remembered, re-told at family gatherings…then we better live life as colorfully as our imagination allows….remembering not to get stuck in the “Land of Usually.”

Haven’t you ever called someone, excitedly, to do something spontaneous at the last moment…and you get a response that the person can’t go because they  “usually” wash their hair on Thursday nights or have a television show they watch on Wednesday afternoon or vacuum on Mondays? Really?

I came across this quote, last week, that made me pause .. Don’t forget to avoid “ruts” because they are more comfortable and make you feel secure…instead remember:

“Usually is the enemy of Adventure.”

So until tomorrow…

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” Helen Keller

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Let’s hear a Big Shout-Out to my third “son” John…my wonderful son-in-law…he finishes out all the Dingle-Turner birthdays on the last day of September.

John, What an asset you are to the family! I can’t imagine life without you in it! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope this year brings you much happiness and joy with each passing day.

I love this birthday greeting Ginga Wilder sent me….so I will pass it on to you.

“BLESSINGS ON YOUR NEXT TRIP AROUND THE SUN”!

My new neighbors, the Smiths, Fin and Virginia, stopped by yesterday with mums in a pumpkin container…adorable…I just added them to the other side of the porch to balance out all the fall flowers. Loving it! Thank you so much Smiths! Have fun visiting that beautiful grandchild this weekend in Augusta!

“More “Pretties”!

Dear Reader:

Don’t you love this “take” on the favorite old nursery rhyme about the most famous egg around? I adore different creative perspectives on status quo theories and thoughts…even nursery rhymes. Too cute!

So instead of Humpty Dumpty “cracking” up…we do…in a fun way.

Nancy Greenberg, a young artist, was shocked when this cartoon went “crackingly” viral. Everyone remarked how wholesome and intellectually witty the idea behind the cartoon was.

Greenberg was overwhelmed and realized that many Americans today are so tired of all the cynicism in the country and world that an uplifting cartoon like this just caught fire. At last…a smile for simplicity, creativity, and integrity!

Even Humpty Dumpty was overwhelmed by readers and how they reacted  at his new “Fall experience! ” So he personally thanked one and all.

I remember when I was in training as a teacher…we were always taught to try to ignore bad behavior as much as possible. Most students just want attention when they act up….so if they realize that you are giving your whole attention to the positive students who are listening, polite, and kind it dawns on them that this might work for them too…or if not…their presence is removed to another area and left alone.

For students who seek attention constantly….being given no attention and separated from the classroom activities is the worse punishment for them…they like to be the center of attention…even if negatively.

I think this idea should be implemented with the news….why should we have to suffer through watching bad behavior from any political figure or celebrity…newscasters should just mention what they did and move on…but don’t give the person what they most want…attention. Life is too short to pay for television these days to watch bad behavior repeatedly.

I go out of my way to find channels these days that don’t succumb to the political ads…:) The ads become expensive “dime a dozen” intrusions into our “chill” times in the evenings. How dumb do political machines think we are….we have to see an ad 500 times before we “get it”? I find it quite demeaning…I didn’t get my Masters to be treated in election years like someone…somewhat “daft.”

Okay…off the bandwagon and moving on…Yesterday I got my first question for my memory book….to tell a story about one of my earliest memories. I have been asked this before and I always stick with my most poignant memory involving my father…since it was also my last memory of him.

Daddy had been gone on a business trip and returned…as usual, Ben, David, and I were beside ourselves with happiness because he always brought us a treat back home.

Since I was five when daddy died…most of my recollections about him are just impressions…except…for this one memory. Ben, David, and I each received two lollipops that appeared on each end of one stick! How very cool is that?

The lollipop stick was just long enough for my five-year-old hands to be able to hold it in the middle between one cherry pop and one grape pop…so I ran around my neighborhood showing all my friends my treat…swinging it up and down like a baton!

My daddy had brought us something so special no one else had ever seen anything like it…and I have never forgotten it….an once-in-a life time “pop” from my special “once-in-a lifetime” pop…my daddy! He died mere months after this photo from kidney disease.

Now my question for you….when I googled photos to put in the memory album of  ‘one stick-two-sided lollipops’…there was no such item listed…anywhere. Believe me…I searched and searched!

I remember sharing this memory in Provence when I attended the International Creativity Workshop and at that time sweet “Poppy” (Mr. Dingle) helped me rig two lollipops together using a special binding white tape that blended in with the two sticks…turned out rather well.

Here is my plea….if anybody ever comes across a true one-stick – two sided lollipop on-line or in a candy shop and could send the link to me….I would be forever indebted in gratitude…

Because, think about it…if that little unique piece of a candy’s memory has lasted me a lifetime…I would order some for my grandchildren and tell them the story. Perhaps they will remember it all their lives too.

So until tomorrow….Get outside, enjoy all the festivities fall has to offer, and just have a Great Fall! 🙂

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Humpty…I’m having a great fall too…decorating and watching the last of the morning glories blooming at their most beautiful!!!

Dear Reader:

Isn’t there so much truth in the title statement? Nobody likes asking a perpetual whiner how they are doing and get a 20 minute tirade of all their ailments, along with personality disagreements involving their family, doctors,  or “supposedly” friends.

*The person innocently inquiring now wants to run for the hills and will definitely avoid asking this person a second time… how they are doing.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be interested in someone else’s obstacles, whether it is about health or economic or whatever issues…but if everyone would just learn to start the response with a positive statement, a blessing, before mentioning a problem…they would be met with much more sympathy and understanding.

This is why I enjoyed my birthday weekend so much…when all the adults gathered for dinner…we had a choice…we could either talk about our problems or just have fun making fun of our problems…keeping things light and funny and often endearing.

All the gifts were so thoughtful and creative…a high folding lawn chair I can get out of to watch the children’s sports games with an attachment for a water bottle, more beautiful flowers…two-plant mums, orchids,  Two Charleston hot pink rice beads to share a friendship and story.

CHARLESTON RICE BEADS

And finally…speaking of a story…another  creative gift to end the evening…

Listen to this description….how cool is this idea?

We’ve gifted you a subscription to StoryWorth so you can record your stories for the family. After a year, we’ll print a beautiful book with your stories for us all to have!— Walsh, Mollie, and kids

This is how it works….don’t you love it?

Hi Boo,

Mollie Dingle wants to hear your stories and get to know you better, and has given you a one year subscription to StoryWorth.

You’ll get weekly prompts with an easy way to record your life, and at the end of the year you’ll receive a beautifully bound book of your stories.

Here’s how it works.

• Every Monday, we’ll email you a question that Mollie has chosen for you, for example “How did you get your first job? or “What were your friends like in high school?”
• All you have to do is reply to the email with a story.You’re welcome to attach photos as well.
• Mollie gets emailed each story you record. You can add more recipients if you’d like other loved ones to receive your stories.
• All of your stories are saved privately, and will be printed in a beautiful keepsake book at the end of the year!!!

*I looked up to see what the final album looks like and each recipient gets to choose colors, order of questions, style, etc. of their particular finished album. We can edit anything before making the final selection. Here is one sample.

StoryWorth makes it easy to print your family stories as a beautiful book. Having your stories online make them easy for everyone to access, but there’s nothing like holding a book in your hands.

• Choose the order of the stories and include pictures.
• Beautiful hardcover designs that you can customize.
• Choose between black and white or color.

We hope you enjoy it!

Best,

–Nick & the StoryWorth team

Nick Baum, founder

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

My first question comes today!!! I can hardly wait….I will share some of the questions periodically throughout the upcoming 52 weeks. I am so excited…what a terrific way to finally be able to do what I have wanted to do for so long….have a tactile, concrete memoir album for the children and grandchildren to read.

Part of my reason for doing the blog post initially started for this same reason… but then it evolved as a mixture of family memories, along with stories, observations, and metaphors on life.

What I soon realized… was that the longer the blog post lasted the closer all of you readers became to me…like part of my family…sharing back with new ideas and thoughts of your own that have helped me grow into a better person…more understanding of different views. Thank you!

…And thank you for all the wonderful cards, texts, and well-wishes for my birthday….I am a lucky woman indeed!

So until tomorrow….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Fall keeps falling with decor around the garden!

Dear Reader:

Almost daily now new terms, words,  slang expressions, and acronyms are appearing in the news, magazines, talk shows and newspapers…in connection with living along side a pandemic, Covid19, and political turmoil… the latter actually wearing everyone down faster than the virus.

The term in the title visual today…caught my attention….JOMO...Joy of Missing Out...Feeling content with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care. Actually I have been able to find a sense of contentment being at home more and acclimating to new ways of obtaining staples like groceries and gasoline.

My garden sanctuary has certainly helped in this transition tremendously….still at certain points along the last six month traverse…there are times when I just need feeling connected with family and close friends again.

We then all have to make personal decisions about choices, needs, and wants. I figured out pretty quickly…that my family is my lifeblood and I can’t go too long without a family “transfusion.”

I find myself talking it all out with God…praying about it…but then once I make a decision to join in a family gathering (with everyone being as careful as humanly possible) I don’t look back. I just enjoy every minute being with the people whose love bolsters my health and strength more than any of the numerous medications I am on.

Perhaps it is because I was born under the sign of the scales…Libra…that I must have balance in my life. I have always intuitively known when my life is off-kilter and always managed to get back on the right path again….living through Covid is no different.

Friday night was so much fun….spending it with my adult children and their spouses…my extra two daughters and son. I just love laughing with them again….it does a body good!

A big sigh of contentment….a cream brulee dessert! Life is good with a full tummy!

Saturday was just as crazy as we anticipated…with just as much fun.

Mandy came up with the one minute fun games that the children had to perform within a minute’s time and whoever accomplished it won that particular round.

I will have to say the most popular was the oreo cookie contest…trying to get the cookie from one’s forehead to the mouth before the time ran out…even Mandy had to join in this one….Rutledge was our winner in this contest.

*Actually instant winner…he got the cookie! 🙂

Eloise just calmly ate her cookie and watched the others play…smart girl!

The hardest one was stacking pennies using only one hand! Eva Cate took the prize home here. Everyone else just had a plate of scattered pennies….it “ain’t” easy stacking all 25 pennies with just one hand. Try it some time! 🙂

Lachlan arrived just in time to get his turn at a whack of the basketball pinata  for the party’s candy and treats’ give-aways!

And now ….the fun part…the loot!

Actually Kaitlyn created a lot of fun for the Dingle boys (Rutledge and Lachlan) ….making them all kinds of fun do’s…hair-do’s that is.

Before the party…there was even some sweet time between Eva Cate and Jake…it gets rarer these days as the siblings get older…but it is still nostalgic to witness when it happens… And between little girls and their aunts.

With my new family blood “transfusion” I am ready to take on the world…strengthened by family and love.

So until tomorrow… My new t-shirt from Mandy and John….and what a lovable “crew” I have. 🙂

Tommy brought Atticus and Pip over for the party…both dogs decided it was too loud for them so they just slept on the sofa like nothing was going on. Smart dogs.

Then Atticus decided he was going to go home with Boo Boo…I would have felt more complimented if I were not holding the rest of my delicious blackened chicken dinner from Friday night! 🙂

Thank you family for such a special weekend, meal together, and all your creative gifts- I am one lucky mother and grandmother…just being together makes all the difference in the world during these perplexing times.

Marcia Temple, Mollie’s Mom, has the most gorgeous maple tree in her yard…a show-stopper that makes even their mail carrier pause and stare at this beautiful example of God’s handiwork at its best. Check it out! Love it and so envious of that maple…double wow! 🙂

Dear Reader:

The best thing about having a garden is being taught so many life lessons that we can carry into our daily lives.

This photo was taken around 7:00 a. m. Friday morning….the afternoon showers that were predicted came early and  dawn hadn’t broken when I shot this photo.

But it was my old-fashioned long, narrow stem sunflower bush that started my awareness of different stages of life and how each stage has its own form of beauty…it never leaves us. Some times in our lives it is more obvious…but never-the-less it is there in all stages from subtle to obvious.

While taking a photo of a bee gathering nectar from one of the sunflower blooms Thursday afternoon…my attention was drawn to these strikingly beautiful “pods” that I had not noticed before…since I was used to only tuning in on the blooms…now I discovered what I had been missing.

I texted Doodle to see if she knew what stage of production these beautiful looking “gems” were in….neither one of us were sure. Did these appear before the bloom or after? Then finally when I went back out later in the day I found the clue I was looking for….apparently they are the birth pod from where the blooms sprout…you can see in the following photo…the beginning of sunflower petals emerging.

As I stood there admiring God’s Handiwork and creativity…it dawned on me that every stage in life is beautiful…for us humans also. And, as many of us have witnessed by now…we come full circle in beauty in our own life cycles.

Anne mentioned that her sister Nancy…who recently passed away… looked just like she did as a young woman when Anne arrived at her home this past summer. Decades of aging had not only ceased but reversed…she was youthfully beautiful in this final stage before departing…an inner glow.

I became conscious of this with my zinnias…there are still some that are brightly one-tinted like they have been all spring and summer…but now some are fading and blending two shades together…and honestly…to me (even with some “age” spots)… they are even more glamorous in these last stages before the first frost arrives some time next month.

Life has a way of compensating for aging doesn’t it…through beauty in nature in all stages or like wine growing better with time…

Here are some more favorites that just get better with age…..

1. jeans
2. cheese
3. a new haircut
4. good marital relationships
5. cast iron skillets
6. a worn in doggie bed
7. self-confidence
8. meditation
9. true friendships
10. quality leather goods

Have some fun and think of more….

So until tomorrow…..

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Jeff had just gotten in from Kentucky Thursday evening and had planned to cut the grass yesterday but Mother Nature had other ideas as the rain fell…so we postponed the “hair cut” until better weather.

Look what Jeff brought me back from Kentucky…a birthday gift! He told me his grandfather is known for his strawberry jam. I can see why…I fixed a bowl of cereal, made some toast, buttered and slathered the strawberry jam on it….oh my…heaven just got closer! 🙂