Tag: Inspiration

Make it a habit….

   In your daily life, no matter how hectic – because there is always an available excuse- stop and look around you, there’s always something to marvel at. I’ve been making an effort to turn my thoughts toward the positives, to live as fully in appreciation and gratitude as I can.  I know it’s easier for some than others, and it’s true the amount of things to be grateful for is not evenly distributed among us, let alone properly appreciated by those who have in abundance.  But regardless of life circumstances, we always have the ability to find and embrace the good.  In doing so, I believe we  nourish our soul, a vital ingredient for a content life.  And oh, if only everyone could feel content.

What do I feel gratitude for today?

This dog, discarded by someone else, who is my loyal companion. We understand each other with barely
a word spoken.  Unconditional love, nothing like it.   

 Gardening… nourishing to body and soul.  The seeds are planted!  Now, to watch them grow.

A woods walk in early Spring..

 
exploring the stream beds, clear cool water running through….

That Waterlogue App!!… I’m addicted!

 

Driving home from dinner the other night, I made the Mr. stop so we could admire how very still the water was along the shore.  The sun was setting and everything was sooo.. .quiet.  It’s not often that the water appears so serene, no wind coming in off the water, no chop.

  We can choose –  focus on all the negative crap constantly on the radar around us,  or look for the good.  Both views are always right there in some form or another.  Which one do you usually hone in on?  And which view will you choose to embrace? ….

Make it a habit.. look for the good.  Your entire being will thank you.

Finding the Bright Side


  Attitude is everything.  As I mature I discover this to be one of the biggest truths in life. No matter how determined we are, we can’t dictate exactly how things will go, what will change and what will remain the same. Nothing is sure but death, taxes and the unpredictability of weather.  And Twinkies, Slim Jims, Twizzlers and Coke.  I’m pretty sure those four things would survive any apocalypse.

  As I sit here at the computer, my hands, feet and face sting from the thaw after morning chores. I am not discouraged by the winter that just keeps chilling, snowing and blowing.  Instead, I am grateful for the beauty outside my windows, for the good health to carry out the chores, for the good fortune to be able to feed the troops and the animals, and for my husbands big excavation equipment, currently in the State Forest digging a  Bronco out of the snow after a certain family member and his friends decided to see how far they could go in the snow  last night.    Wearing shorts and sneakers. ….. Ah, youth.  


“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch
of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for
home.” 
– Edith Sitwell


  Because of the cold temps and snowy tundra, we’ve been spending more time around the kitchen table at meal time, more time by the fire watching the Olympics, more time as a family in general.  So often the outside world beckons us in all directions.  This opportunity for togetherness, despite it’s chill factor, is a gift. 

The Mr. and I did some gator riding through the trails yesterday…

 
…and got just a little stuck.

 
After a little back and forth and some shoving, cursing and flooring it…
 we were free again. 
Hey, stupidity is not always wasted on the young. 
The picture currently in my header was yesterdays morning moon…
the winter moon is just beautiful.
I’ve now got some serious boot wear I found stuffed in the back of the mudroom closet
  -my sons snowmobile boots from a few years back, when we wore the same shoe size.
They are mammoth…each boot weighing probably 10 lbs.. all the better for
some leg toning, right?
Attitude. 
The dogs are content to run outside, do their thing, and come right back in.
We always dig a run for Ben, because he will not “go” near the house…
he wants some privacy.  If we don’t dig that path,
he stands at the gate looking miserable.

 Frasier is not so finicky.

The skies have been the bluest blue.
Picnic anyone?
It’s a new day, All –  make it a good one!

The power of prejudice and love

 I have a lot to share with you today….and we’re about to get more snow, so … it’s the perfect time to sit at the computer and ignore it. I contemplated the post title and realized all the bouncing around would fall under two catagories….prejudice and *love*  and what we can accomplish when we take love in and let it out, drop all prejudice to see things for what they really are.  Don’t ever be afraid to love, to care, to cherish, to reach out… be afraid if you don’t.

My friend in Rescue just took a leap of faith.  “P” saw a soul on death row she just couldn’t resist and was drawn to go meet him. 
 Oh, do I know the thought that just crossed your mind.   A PIT BULL!  Do you see the above picture as a menacing face?  You wouldn’t be alone.   He was found wandering the streets,with a bad case of mange and not neutered… even worse!

For the truth about Pit Bulls… if you’re really interested and want more reading, click HERE     I bet you wouldn’t guess that they were a very popular family dog in the beginning of the 20th century,

Petey of the little Rascals was a Pit Bull…

….. they are originally from England and Ireland and their typical characteristics include loyalty, obedience,  friendly, clownish, stubborn, courageous, aggressive, intelligent, affectionate.  Are you focusing on the words aggressive and stubborn?  The same is said of many  other dog breeds.  My dachsund is aggressive and stubborn.   It’s not the pit bulls fault that because of their athletic ability they were chosen by some  to suffer major abuse and were tormented to participate in fighting. 

It’s a crime that pit bulls have the horrible stigma attached to their being.  Every living thing is capable of doing harm.  It’s all in the circumstances.  Dogs –  more often than not… show us just how forgiving they are, how willing to love and be loved they are, regardless the abuse they may have suffered. In my experience it has become clear that  no breed suffers more at the hands of man or is more misunderstood  than the pit bull. There will always be those who have behavioral issues, just as there are in any other breed you might think are more worthy of trust.  PEOPLE have behavioral issues, so please lets get past all that.

I have no doubt, judging by his physical condition and where he was found, that Jack had a sh*tty life before being brought to the shelter.  “P”  caught some flack from well intentioned friends who also believe the stigma and thought she was making a mistake.   “P” wrote a beautiful post this morning about her adopted and already beloved Jack, who is settling in quite nicely with his new family -consisting of a teenager, two other dogs and a few rescue kittens.  All are getting along well and Jack shows manners already around the house.  She says of the prejudice she has witnessed from friends… this quote by Martin Luther King Jr.  comes to mind… “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”    Oh, how this can be applied to so many things in life, no?  


Jack seeing himself in a mirror after a good bath  in his new home….

Feeling good for the first time in a long time.. seen here with his new Mom, “P”.


 Can you see the diamond in the “ruff”?  

It’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve got an update on the South Carolina dogs and the impoverished couple who have been mercifully feeding 20 or so stray dogs that have wandered onto their property for the past five years.  Dog days now has a rescue contact who  is keeping them posted with pictures and updates, and bringing the supplies and help needed to the dogs.  Several of you have donated to the cause already, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to every one of you for stepping up and believing in our mission. We are hoping to bring them up here and hold a mini Dog Days adoption event just for them… if they can’t find homes down there, and that will require transport as well as full vetting for each dog. For now your donations are helping Dog Days feed them as well as worming and shots  for the ones who have not gotten that care yet.    These people live in a tiny shack they built themselves and are facing big health issues, yet their every spare dime as gone to these dogs that others discarded.  To read more of the story, click HERE…
 * some of you donated on the original Dog Days GoFundMe page.. this new one was set up to avoid any confusion, but it all still goes to the Dog Days Team, all applied to save the dogs, feed them through this cold snap, and hopefully get them homes, either here or there. Dog Days takes no money, we are all volunteers. The money raised goes directly to the care of the dogs.
What do I feel today?  The power of  LOVE.  and… Hooray for the Underdog.
What a sap, huh?
  

Grace

A woman I have come to know through blogging
posted this on her page the other day…
…Walk with Me along the high road of thanksgiving, and you will
find all the delights I have made ready for you. To protect your
thankfulness, you must remember that you reside in a fallen world, where
blessings and sorrows intermingle freely…
 
by Sarah Young.
 
Thank you  Vicky – Perfect.



Happy Thanksgiving, All – 
From This Old House to yours – 
xo


Clearing

     


Clearing by Martha Postlewaite

Do not try to save 
the whole world or do anything grandiose. 
Instead, create a clearing 
in the dense forest of your life 
and wait there patiently, 
until the song 
that is your life 
falls into your own cupped hands 
and you recognize and greet it. 
Only then 
will you know 
how to give yourself 
to this world so 
worthy of rescue.