A Taste of Spring in the Heat of Summer

On August 16, 2011August 16, 2011 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life16 Comments

My Mother’s garden.

In the Spring, the hands of my mother turn the soil. She picks each plant lovingly and places it in the dirt. She pats the ground around it and wills it to grow beautiful.

She works her garden all the year, but most especially, spring and summer. Sweating, watering, and arranging until she gets it just about right (but it’s never done).

We look upon her gallery of color and placement as if in the finest of museums. From one garden bed to the next, there is more to gaze upon and revel in. Hidden delights find your eye in wonder. Magic sparkles and weaves throughout the yard, delighting in fairy tales come true.

I don’t know if I every thanked my mother for her work, or for the love of gardening, she has instilled in me. I don’t know if she knows how much I appreciate the beauty she brings to life.

I took my camera to Oklahoma, in hopes, I could capture her joy and return it to her.

Mom, you make life more beautiful by just being in it. Thank-you for what you share with us, and for what I can share with all of you.

Gardening is a very special gift. It’s a mix of nurture, artistry, and love. There are many lessons taught in the garden of life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

“There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.”

When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.”

“A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream.”

“All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of yesterday.”

“As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.”-Ben Hogan

“”True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.”
— St. Francis of Assisi

“To plant a garden is to believe in the future.”

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

“Flowers whisper “Beauty!” to the world, even as they fade, wilt, fall.” ~Dr. SunWolf

“Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll.”

Savoir-Faire as the Cookie Crumbles

On July 16, 2010July 17, 2010 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, Life is what you make it.29 Comments

Keep your feet on the ground even though friends flatter you.

Apparently, my plans of floating away using my ballooned head from the ego boosting review, and the wonderful, uplifting comments has been delayed. Because the cookie said so. And you don’t mess with the cookie.

I will keep my feet on the ground and heed the advice I was given, in such a timely fashion.

My blog will stay the same as always. No bells, whistles, or shining lights; no mad endorsements, or instant fame. I will still write, chronicle, and record. I will continue to laugh, live, and love. And each, and every response I get from you, I will cherish and give thanks, because I appreciate every one. But my flying days? Well, they will be saved for my honeymoon.

So I bow down to the master cookie in the sky (God really does have a sense of humor) and praise you for preserving my character for another day.

I should say tact was worth much more than wealth as a road to leadership…. I mean that subtle apprehension which teaches a person how to do and say the right thing at the right time. It coexists with very ordinary qualities, and yet many great geniuses are without it. Of all human qualities I consider it the most convenient—not always the highest; yet I would rather have it than many more shining qualities.

-M. E. W. Sherwood

**This post also inspired by the fact that the superintendent of the school I went to (elementary-graduation), reads, subscribes, and comments on my blog** What an honor! Thank you Todd. You were an amazing biology teacher and I know you are an amazing superintendent. It was great to see you at the reunion last year. I could really get a big head from your glowing comments. Thank goodness we have fortune cookies to keep us sane. 🙂

Healthy Reflection on Monday

On November 23, 2009 By AngeliaIn Better to be a blessing, In my heart forever & ever19 Comments

Because Sunday I just couldn’t, and I really need it today – something healthy to reflect upon that is – how about you?

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.

– Vietnamese saying

Expressing everyday gratitude

How often do you remember the people that have made little things possible for you? It’s easy to take our privileges for granted. Today, be more aware of your surroundings–everything from your shirt, house, food, and car–and who has made them possible for you. Who has made it possible for you to experience such wonderful things? One way to let someone know that you truly appreciate their efforts is to send them a quick note or return the kindness in your own way.

Brought to you by SPARKPEOPLE.
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Happy “short” week of the holiday! Can I thank the pilgrims? Thank you for making this holiday possible. Can I also thank all the turkeys out there? No, not your ex-boyfriends. The bird! No, not “Let’s all do the bird”, dance with Morris Day and the Time, or THE BIRDS by Alfred Hitchcock. I, totally, just dated myself.

I mean Turkey, and dressing served on platter. Yes, Yum! Happy Thanksgiving! I am so happy, and thankful – I swear it’s not just the extra days off (I think?).

This post is really about everyday grace, and not just the time of the year. My first thought that comes to mind is my mom. Hey, she wasn’t perfect by any means, but she PLAYED with us. She instilled manners, respect, morals, and fun. She is still fun, and she STILL plays. I love her! My delightful child-like mother, who encouraged independence, love of children, and animals, forever in my sentiment. Thanks mom for being you.

I am thankful for my health, and my limbs. Yes, that is what happens when you are raised by a handicap father. Suddenly, having healthy working legs is a BIG deal. How easy it is to take our mobility for granted. How quickly it can be taken from us.

Having and keeping a job in this economy. Can I just say, “WOW!” I never worried about my job during the Gulf War. I never worried when airlines stopped paying commissions to travel agencies, and the owners flipped their lids, and we had to start charging fees.

I was not even concerned when the internet arrived with Orbitz, and Travelocity, and the airlines following close behind, this book your own moxie. Why use a travel agent? But I knew not everyone would, especially larger corporate companies, which was my specialty. We were still needed.

Then, the devastating blow of 9/11 sucked the soul out of us, but not the heart. In spite of all that, NOTHING has compared to this last year in the travel industry. Nothing. So thank you, dear job, I am so grateful for you.

My sister, no we don’t live close. We are not close in age. I barely remember her living with us growing up. She was more of a little mommy than a sister. But oh, she is my livelihood. How I adore her, and look up to her, even now that I’m grown and can see, she actually has flaws. She will always be my big sister, and my best friend. God made us sisters, our hearts made us friends. That saying is so true with us.

My dear Jason, far and above, the most paramount man, I have ever met or known, besides my step dad. The thought this man puts into every single thing, a quiet responsible purpose of pursuit, with patience and utter endurance, just to offer the best of himself to those he loves.

Yet, he is always willing to listen to my flash bulbs of babbling brilliance. They pale in comparison to his “bigger” picture brain and burn out just as quickly in light of his deep embers. I can’t imagine a more fitting complement than what we are to each other.

Out of 9 MILLION people on Facebook, I found you, the one, and only you. How small I am compared to the grander illustration painted for both of us.

My daughter Sydney, you amaze and entertain me. Your quick wit, and non-typical teenage antics. By far you are more stylish than I ever could, would, or should be in this lifetime. Thank GOD, you know which shoes go with what. I will forever embarrass you with the wrong outfit just so you can say, “Mooooooommmmmmm, no.”

There are so many others, the scope of which encompasses to an eternity, and I hope you know who you are, because I don’t have enough words to attribute.

I hope I show my kindness to each of you in return. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I hope I express it, not just in words, or deeds, but in every hug, and in every email, text, or comment. I know where my appreciation comes from. It comes from YOU. It comes from your heart. It comes from where YOU came from. What a blessing you are. I am overjoyed to be in your life.

Graciously, I go into this wonderful week with you. Please share your gratitude with me. I’d love to hear it. And I know it will make you feel good (besides, I bet you have already typed it out, HA).

Sunday Healthy Reflection

On November 1, 2009 By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it.8 Comments

Sleep is a generous thief; he gives to vigor what he takes from time.

– Elizabeth, Queen of Romania

Is lack of sleep robbing you of your goals?

If you surveyed the millions of us who don’t get much sleep, chances are they’ll say that the #1 reason they don’t is “lack of time.” In other words, people have too much to do to sleep. Late hours and frantic mornings are the rule. Who has time for more sleep? What this tired group doesn’t realize is that a sleep debt is probably keeping them from acting and thinking at full strength, making even the easiest tasks harder to do. And take longer. Believe it or not, you can probably get more done in your day by getting more sleep. The mental and physical pick-up more than make up for that extra hour or two in bed.

Brought to you by SPARKPEOPLE

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Oh boy, does this strike a chord with me or what? I can’t remember when I decided going to bed at midnight and waking up at six am was a good idea, and totally enough sleep. I think it was somewhere around November 2007, when my step dad, so generously gave me a laptop as an early Christmas gift.

Yeah, I think that was it. Suddenly, the world of no cable, no internet from the previous seven months, was greatly widened. The beckoning beam of the computer screen sucked me in, I haven’t been able to shut it off since.

That’s my excuse anyway, “It’s a gift. What? Am I not supposed to use it? Phsss.”

Once the ~~obsession~~ newness wore off, I had met Jason by then. My new time killer was him. With work, kids, and living apart – we squeeze in time when we can. That means driving home 11-12 at night after watching TV and catching up on Survivor, Flash Forward, and Grey’s Anatomy.

If that wasn’t enough, THEN, I got an iPhone. The ~~newness~~ obsession was mind boggling. Please don’t ask Jason about it. It is embarrassing how much I love my iPhone, I think he is a little jealous.

Despite all that, if I am too look at my health, I have to admit. I could use more sleep. I could turn off the Look! Something shiny! call of the computers and get some more shut-eye. It is easier said than done.

I don’t have a problem sleeping either. That is not it. I sleep very soundly. I go to sleep instantly. You’re jealous right? Pssst. Melatonin. Works wonders, alleviates stress. It’s been a lifesaver for me – I hate laying awake at night – now I never do. Enlyten has dissolvable strips, works instantly. Instantly. Heaven. Simply Heaven.

I guess what it boils down to, I need to slow down for my health. I don’t feel lacking but, possibly, I could perform better. This reflection resonates in my life. I hope it did yours too.

*I pre-blogged this Saturday, so I could sleep in this morning AND it was time change night. Cha-ching! Extra, extra sleep. I feel like I could jump from rooftop to rooftop singing and I haven’t even have coffee yet. Yahoo!*