“Keep your faith in beautiful things;
in the sun when it is hidden,
in the Spring when it is gone.”
~ Roy R. Gibson
❤ 😀
What a beautiful February day!
Here’s a lovely, cheerful song for you!
“And thank you for letting life turn out the way
That I always thought it could be
There once was a time when I could not imagine
How it would feel to say
I’m happiest girl, in the whole U.S.A
Now shine on me sunshine
Walk with me world
It’s a skippidity do da day
I’m the happiest girl, in the whole U.S.A.”~ Donna Fargo
mobile:
desktop:
😀
Let’s remember to maintain our faith in the goodness & beauty even when it feels we cannot detect it right now. It’s always right here. ❤
“Good mornin’ sun, I say it’s good to see you shinin’
I know, my baby brought you to me
She kissed me yesterday, hello to silver linin’
Got spring and summer running through me”
Today, I got to watch the sun rise early in the morning! How beautiful!
I don’t usually see it rising. It was pink & orange and brilliant looking.
It doesn’t look as bright in the pictures as it really did.
Watching the sun rise is always a beautiful start to the day.
How can we watch the sun rising in the early morning and not have a great day?! ;-D
Also I thought of this sweet song today! Isn’t it lovely? Another one of those sweet, happy songs.
We don’t have to have a lover though, to feel this way! Lol
“Hey everybody on the street, I see you smilin’
Must be because I found my baby
You know, she’s got me on another kind of highway
I want to go to where it takes me” (98.6) ~ Keith (performer)
mobile:
desktop:
I love the way he feels as if the whole world is happy for him! 😀 ❤
I think a good goal to have this year would be to get a picture of the sun rising for each month of the year. Usually when I catch the sun rising, it’s by accident, I just wake up to it and run out and get a pic. But it would be sweet to catch for each beautiful month! I think I will! Luckily I already got January’s before it’s over & I miss my chance this year! Now I hope I remember each month! ;-D
These pictures here aren’t edited. I do have ones I put an effect on earlier to make the colors pop and they are pretty but since that isn’t real, I’m just sharing these for now.
To some people, they may not be as pretty as the edited ones but I love what they symbolize: the gift of a new day. And the blessing of having the chance to watch the sun coming up. I have my vision to see it and the chance to see it. Also, I have passion & desire and a sense of wonder. And the life of a new day.
“Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right”
I am loving these days of Wintery sun! They are chilled but warm enough to walk outside and not freeze!
The sun shines so brightly every day! I don’t think I have ever seen it so bright! Winter sunshine is the best!
Today is a happy day. 😀 I had work all day and I got to see Diane’s son, Thomas, today. Diane is my close friend/coworker who we lost unexpectedly almost a year ago. I’m blessed to still see her family occasionally. I love Diane and her wonderful family. ❤
Later I'm going to see my good friend for tea.
And in a few days a book I have been waiting eight months for will finally be out! It's part of a mystery series by Dr. Carey Baldwin. Each book can be read alone but they have the same characters and some things in previous books are sometimes referenced briefly in the next ones. I can't wait! 😀
Here is a lovely song for you!
mobile:
desktop:
Isn't it beautiful? 😀
It's one of those happy, cheerful songs, one of those instantly uplifting ones. ❤
Thank you to everyone who wrote me comments! I still have a few to respond to and will soon! ❤ I always appreciate it!
“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” ~John Ruskin
“And now I’m left without, but you’re here within
As I watch the sun go down, watching the world fade away
All the memories of you come rushing back to me
As I watch the sun go down, watching the world fade away
All I want to do is kiss you once goodbye” ~ Jimmy Somerville
This is a song I love and sometimes I listen to it when my grief (about different losses) is at its worst. I discovered this song a few years ago after my dog, Koko, died of old age.
I felt destroyed and like my loss is unbearable. My agony over the loss of my dog felt like it was killing me. Sometimes I still feel that. Shortly after my dog died in 2013, I was so griefstricken and was searching for anything to help me and I stumbled upon this song riddled with love & loss.
It’s a beautiful song about the devastating loss of a friend. It’s very sad but hopeful too.
Grief & loss can feel so lonely but it’s something almost everyone experiences at least once at some point. We almost all will lose a friend, a parent, a pet, a grandparent…and we won’t all experience it the same exact way or handle it the same. But underneath it all, is that sense of loss & grief that most of us will relate to in some way.
“I never cried the way I cried over you
As I put down the telephone and the world it carried on
Somewhere else, someone else is crying too
Another man has lost a friend, I bet he feels the way I do”
I love this line here because it displays empathy. Whatever we are experiencing, pleasant or unpleasant, no matter how unique our inner experience is or feels, it’s very likely someone else, somewhere out there, is feeling or has felt the same way or very similarly.
It’s great to remember that, not just because we can feel less lonely but it deepens our empathy for others and can deepen our sense of connection and oneness with others we know or not know personally.
It’s not good that others are suffering but since there are people suffering like us, it’s good to reach out to each other or share our stories so others can feel a sense of being understood.
Empathy isn’t just about understanding or feeling the pain of others but also sharing in their joy, success, and happiness.
I have been listening to this song and thinking about my friend/coworker, Diane, who I was close to and worked with for almost ten years. She died unexpectedly of a heart attack at work almost a year ago. I experience all kinds of emotions about it, anger, confusion, fear, despair, pain…, sometimes I feel as if I’m drowning or suffocating. But I also experience love & gratitude which I know are strong enough to conquer all those horrific emotions. Love & gratitude won’t burn them out completely but they make them easier to bear.
Grief doesn’t go away usually, but we learn to handle it as the days go on and it heals to a certain degree.
“I’ll never let you down, a battle I have found
And all the dreams we had, I will carry on
As I watch the sun go down, watching the world fade away
All the memories of you come rushing back to me
As I watch the sun go down, watching the world fade away
All I want to do is kiss you once goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye”
Beautiful lyrics! ❤
I feel his pain. </3 ❤
Let's remember the positive qualities of the ones we lost and honor them each day. Bask in the happy memories and the fact we got to know them as long as we did even if it wasn't very long. We could have never encountered them in this life but we did and that's a blessing even with the severe pain.
“If we could see everything and everyone as beautiful we would not develop anger or jealousy but would feel affectionate love for all living beings.” ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Let’s focus on the good in each other & our own self & everything around us and get our minds in the habit of loving.
“You’re my life,
You’re my breath,
You’re a smile
You’re my guest
You’re the earth
You’re the sun
You’re the grass
You are love
You’re my hands
You’re a bug
You’re my eyes
You’re a hug
You’re the light
In the dark
You’re the spark
You are fun
You’re my mom
You are water
You’re the stars
You’re my daughter
Your my friend
Till the end
You’re my dreams
You’re my father
You’re the ants on the ground
The miracles that surround
I’m feelin’ it all around
The hemisphere and the clouds
You’re my pain you’re my sorrow
You’re my hope for tomorrow
You’re the strength when I’m hollow
You’re the path that I follow
You’re the blessings that exist
The small things that are bliss
The gift to realize that
Everything is a gift.”~ Nimo Patel – Empty Hands
mobile:
desktop:
This is a most beautiful song. It’s called Grateful and is a musical love song to the world. The whole world, everyone & everything. Friends, family, strangers, insects, clouds, the beauty all around….all encompassing love. ❤
"All that I am
All that I see
All that I've been and all that I'll ever be
Is a blessing
Its so amazing
And I’m grateful for it all, for it all" ~ Nimo
It’s true, everything is a gift. I love the feeling of Oneness. To feel like everyone I encounter is family or can be. To feel connected to the sky, the trees and flowers, the buildings and the air, myself dissolves into the Oneness and it’s a true gift.
❤
I'm wishing you much love & light today & always!!
“Be melting snow.
Wash yourself of yourself.” ~Rumi
❤
Today I woke up with the headache worse than usual when I wake up, but it wasn’t the worst. Now it’s a lot better.
I woke up with this feeling like this life can’t be better than this. I have no money (I haven’t been working because of the weather, my boss closes for wicked weather! ) and I have a chronic headache but life is still beautiful!
I feel so inspired, so beautiful, so hopeful, so grand. The sun is shining brightly through the bare trees, the ground and everything is covered in melting snow and ice and sludge. It’s so hard to walk because my shoes slip and fill with cold slush. And it’s all so beautiful.
I saw a few birds flying by out my bedroom window. Some of my favorite kind of days are cool/warm Winter days that remind me of an impending Spring. Especially when they are covered in snow and the sun is shining brightly!
I love when the seasons collide and mesh together to form a beautiful medley.
Today I’m eating chocolate Oreo cookies with green mint in the middle instead of the original white cream. They are delicious!! Mint is my absolute favorite! The scent of the mint in these cookies is heavenly.
The air is so cool and so sweet today. It caresses my skin so gently and is exhilarating.
I’m generally happy but I also have recurring episodes of severe depression. The episodes often come close together. They last hours,days, weeks, or months. They used to last around three and four months, sometimes longer. And often in the middle I would have less severe, but often still severe, depression. Through the years I worked on myself to be better and better. Now I’m still not cured but my depression is much less frequent. The duration of my depressive episodes usually isn’t months anymore. Usually they last a month or less now. And I don’t have longterm depression in the middle anymore. Sometimes I still have symptoms in the intervals but not always and not usually as bad. Also, I cope with the depression much better now.
This sunny afternoon, I was thinking what a sharp contrast this beautiful feeling is when compared to that deep, dark, depression I lived (and sometimes still live), for years and years.
What a beautiful, sharp contrast.
Just last night I felt somewhere all the way in the back of my mind that I may be detecting an impending episode. But it quickly vanished. I’m so thankful! Because it’s already in me to have depression, I can have symptoms very briefly that end as quickly as they begin. I can usually detect what kind of episodes I am about to be hit with and approximately how long I will have to endure it. And I can sometimes make it so it doesn’t hit too hard. Isn’t that amazing?! I have different degrees of depression, different severity levels, and different durations. Some only last hours to days while others last weeks to months. Some are severe and some beyond severe. Some are suicidal depression and some are not.
But today there’s not an ounce of depression in me. I am very mindful of not being depressed. One of the great things about having to live a life of longterm depression is when I’m not depressed, I never take it for granted. I realize even more how great it is to be happy! I realize not only how incredible it is to live but to want to live.
And today I am even more mindful of it than usual.
I am filled with immense gratitude.
And I am inspired by this beautiful season.
Winter inspires me deeply.
Yesterday I went for a walk to a couple of stores and I went out of my way just to walk more and to take beautiful pictures!
I will share some here!
This is the same picture with two different effects. Kids and their daddy sledding up on a hill having fun. It was so sweet and inspiring to hear their laughter & squealing and see their love. I remember when I was a little girl and would go sledding with my friends and my dad.
I love the shadows and reflections upon the snow that the fence puts there with the sunlight streaming through the slits.
The sun always comes out again. ❤
I love seeing workers doing work outside.
It’s not all beauty & fun though, I heard a few people were hurt and killed in the recent storm and a few died of heart attacks while shoveling the snow including an 80 something year old man and an eighteen year old girl who was pregnant. Seriously?! An 18 year old?! Her unborn baby and her both died. My heart just sinks. My love & compassion go out to all those affected by these terrible tragedies. How heartbreaking.
Last night my mom, sister, and me watched the movies My Girl & My Girl 2. I haven’t watched those movies in many years and never realized how inspiring they are.
Here is a song that the girl’s mom sings on a video in the second movie:
“Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile”
😀
mobile:
desktop:
“Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you”
A beautiful, inspiring reminder to smile even when things aren’t so perfect. There’s always something to smile about!! 😀 ❤
“Life ain’t always beautiful
Sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart
Life ain’t always beautiful
You think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead end road at the end of the day
But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of takin its sweet time”
I love this beautiful Country song, written by Cyndi Goodman and Tommy Lee James and sung by Gary Allan.
It’s so inspiring and touching. And especially knowing one of his real life experiences of deep pain that may have influenced his choice to sing this song and with so much passion.
The song is about how life can be hard and sad and not all good but it’s still a beautiful journey overall.
“happiness has its own way of takin’ its sweet time”
Just because we aren’t happy right now or sometimes doesn’t mean we are destined to be unhappy forever. We can always become happy at any point as long as we are alive.
Gary Allan is a man who experienced true tragedy. He lost his beautiful wife to suicide in 2004. What an unimaginable loss for him and their kids and other family and friends. My heart goes out to them. Imagine the pain and horror they must live with each day.
His wife, Angela, suffered with severe headaches and depression for years and took her own life one night while she was at home with the children. Poor baby. It’s so devastating that she suffered how she did and couldn’t see the light through her darkness. I wish I could give her a hug.
We can want to die one second but just a second later change our mind. Imagine how many suicide victims probably would have changed their minds if only they held on just a second longer. Imagine how many pulled the trigger just a second too soon. The depression, the headaches, the suicidal inclination, for many of us aren’t temporary. They are chronic or episodic and they come and go. Come and go. Appear then disappear. But even though they always come back, and even if they stay a while, they always go again or can if we hold on. It does not always feel as if it will or can end or that we can live with it. But the pain can end and/or we can learn to cope better. And we can still find beauty in pain, both physical & emotional.
“No, life ain’t always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life ain’t always beautiful
But it’s a beautiful ride”
This song is full of so much strength and determination. So much hope. Instead of giving up and becoming bitter, he takes his pain and puts it into his singing to share beautiful messages with the world.
We can all take our pain, no matter how serious or minor, and turn it into good whether it’s through singing, writing, sharing our experiences or positive message any way we can. Even if it doesn’t reach as many as a famous person’s does, it can still reach at least one. And that is good enough. ❤
This song here can apply to any pain or problems we may have.
Even through his agony and loss he can see beauty in this life. It's ok that life isn't always beautiful. We can seize all the beautiful moments and acknowledge them, honor them, cherish them instead of getting sucked into the bad and overlooking all the goodness.
Just because pain and tragedy and nonsense exist in life doesn't mean beauty and goodness is outweighed or has to take the back burner. Why let the bad side have all or most of the attention and energy? We have a choice where to place our attention. For some people, it may take a lot of practice to generally see the good. But it's always possible.
I feel a pull in my chest and deep beauty well up in it when I listen to this song or read the lyrics.
I just love his gentle, kind of sad, but hopeful voice. It’s so beautiful.
❤
"No, life ain't always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life ain't always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride"
“A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall.
As soon as he marries her
Then she starts to do
The things that will break his heart.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife,
You’ll be happy for the rest of your life,
An ugly woman cooks her meals on time,
She’ll always give you peace of mind.”
An ugly woman?! I don’t think there is such a thing! Lol
Since I’m sharing this song I decided to share a couple of the “ugliest” (there’s actually waayyy uglier ones my sister has of me that she takes of me during moments I least expect it but I won’t be sharing those here – she has them on Facebook though!) pics of me. lol It’s not that I’m ugly but these are pictures I took of myself recently during my horrible sore throat and stuff. I’m totally not in my underwear, just pj shorts. lol And I have chicken legs (natural ones, not because I’m sick) which my mom thinks are hilarious. They aren’t as noticeable in pants.
I took these pictures shortly after I felt my sickness slowly beginning to heal. I was celebrating my desire to “live again” after walking around like a zombie for a few days. lol So for this reason, I think they are beautiful pics!
This is me recovering just after a terrible sore throat and possibly a (mild) kidney infection.
I haven’t been this sick in quite a while. And if I look a wreck, in my defense, like I said, I’m sick but recovering very well!
Don’t you just LOVE the feeling of getting over a sickness?! It’s a wonderful feeling for sure. When I’m listing things to be grateful for, even when I’m not sick and haven’t been in a while, I frequently think of the incredible feeling when a sickness begins to end. In general, most of us feel this feeling of not being sick but we tend to overlook it I think, take it for granted, because we’re so used to it….until we get sick. Then we realize how absolutely wonderful it is to not be sick. ❤
I was letting my dog out in the backyard to go potty and as I stood there at the door waiting (she doesn't like us to leave and close the door on her lol), I felt flooded with gratitude that I felt so much less sick!
I'm sharing this funny song & pictures as part of my one word challenge! My word is beauty. It’s just a funny song, but definitely not true! There are lots of pretty girls who can make some delicious food and love to cook for others and are great loyal, wives, girlfriends, lovers….
This song, while kind of rude, is uplifting!
“Say man.
Hey baby.
Saw your wife the other day.
Yeah?
Yeah, she’s uglyyy.
Yeah, she’s ugly but she sure can cook.
Yeah?. Okay.”
Lol Whaaattt?!?
I can’t cook (but then again, I never even try…)and don’t want to and I don’t keep stuff neat and organized so I must be totally gorgeous!! ;-D
My view is if you truly want to be happy, look for the beauty in everyone. Not just physical beauty but inner beauty. “Look for the light in others and treat them as if that’s all you see.” Also not to assume things especially based on outter appearances. You may think a woman is ugly and it turns out she can’t cook at all and a woman you find stunning may be a great chef!
And not just about cooking but anything. Lol Physical appearance can’t generally tell us much about someone!
This may seem like common sense but some people really do judge based on appearances. I’m not completely innocent of this myself. I don’t ever judge based on level of attractiveness but there have been occasions I just looked at someone and thought this person doesn’t seem like the most pleasant person and the person turned out to be the sweetest thing! Even if we get a first impression that isn’t good, we don’t have to act on it! Let’s give everyone a chance! ❤
(This isn’t my photo but isn’t it sweet?!)
It’s hard though to listen to this song and not want to giggle or sing along! 😀 The tune is quite catchy, wouldn’t you say? 😀
1 Corinthians 13:4-7New International Version (NIV)
“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
(this one isn’t mine)
I’m not religious but I love churches! And I just love the little golden cross at the top and the Wintery feel of my photo here. Churches are one of my favorite things to take pictures of! They are just beautiful. And while I don’t believe in any gods, I still find deep beauty & inspiration in some of the messages and love of people who believe in them or one of them.
I am someone who finds beauty & inspiration everywhere, even in things I don’t agree with and even in dark situations.
But this year, as part of my one word challenge, I’m being even more mindful of beauty everywhere. Beauty is my word.
😀
So I decided to share my pictures here with a Biblical (at least in some versions) quote I find beauty in. And also I want to share a sweet Jesus song I find so much inspiration in.
I want my one word challenge to be about not only finding beauty in my own views and things I completely agree with but appreciating the beauty in other views and opinions I don’t share.
“Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can’t be what You saw
Let Your Kingdom come here in my heart
And I will live to carry Your compassion, to love a world that’s broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give with the life that I’ve been given
And go beyond religion to see the world be changed
By the power of Your name
The power of Your name”
Isn’t this incredibly beautiful?! It’s not just a message that can only apply to those who believe in Jesus. It’s meant for each one of us. Jesus, whether he was/is a real man or only a character in a fairytale, is symbolic of love, compassion, and hope. Those are messages that can apply to all of us. We can look within us to find that power to help transform the world around us.
I invite you to look for and find beauty in places you don’t think you are likely to find it. Maybe in certain political views for example or in the people who hold views you yourself do not. There are views I don’t agree with but appreciate people’s courage to share them or the determination they have to work for their cause. If we really try, we will find glimpses of beauty even in the most unlikely places.
