Anticipating the tide.
Palm kissed sunset
All lit up
To play along or see other great interpretations of this weeks theme, click here
I want to see them. I really do. I know they are all around me, but for one reason or another, I am blind to their beauty.
Often times I have to remind myself to look.
I believe that there are blessings, just waiting to be uncovered. Heavenly gifts scattered all along the path of our journey. Is it that I don’t see them? Is it that I don’t recognize them for what they are? Maybe I expect them to arrive in a different package?
No matter the reason, I want to see all of the blessings whether they are raining down on my head or planted beneath my feet.
The prompt today immediately made me think of this picture. Were you just to glance at it, you would see an eye. But if you really look into the eye you will see the reflection of what the eye is seeing.
I know that life is so busy, but today, I want to abandon the urge to glance and be intentional about looking for the blessings.
I am a part of the Five Minute Friday community. You can be too. Here’s how…
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.
Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!
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The challenge is SO fun this week! Think BIG.
“Few women have ever been able to resist the temptation to try on a hat
and discover in the mirror a person they never suspected was there.
A hat alters the image we have of ourselves,
and the image others see as well.
For the hours we wear it,
it brings out different dimensions in our personality,
much as a costume aids an actress in her role.”
~Unknown
One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.
One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Shaved ice covered in pink sugary syrup.
mmmm…mmmm
Where to begin?
“When I grow up, I’m gonna be an astronaut so I can eat ice cream in outer space!”
~ The logic of a 4 yr. old
“When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer,
a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me!
Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts.
Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent.
You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home.
But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother.
Home is neither here nor there.
Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.”
~ Hermann Hesse
Want to see more interpretations of big? Click here
Growth is something I’m going through now, only I don’t have a picture of my insides to show you. (Thankfully, right?!) I do have a few examples that involve tangible objects.
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside,
somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God.
Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be
and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
As long as this exists, and it certainly always will,
I know that there will always be comfort for every sorrow,
whatever the circumstances may be.
And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
~ Anne Frank ~
Want to see more incredible interpretations of this week’s challenge, click here
This post began as a Five Minute Friday post, but continued long after the timer sounded. Something in me could not stop writing and I think that’s okay. There is much stress in life, right now, today. And so my mind drifts…to a place far less stressful…a haven…here.
Here there is no shortage of beauty
The wildflowers grow just beyond the moss sprinkled fence and
roots intertwine to make an adventurous pathway
Here, where the trees touch the heavens
and the mushrooms look like artwork
Here, where the spider spins his masterpiece
while the river cascades over rocks and branches
down a path not yet discovered
Here, where the only thing heard is the sound of
the earth beneath our feet as we walk to the
waterfalls that willing flow down the granite to the body below.
Here, where little boys are transformed into giants,
ninja’s, pirates and superhero’s
Here, where the fire is warm when the sky opens up
to water the earth
Here, where the mountains ascend from green grass
and reflect their magnificence onto the water below
While cotton like clouds sit suspended against the blue sky
Here, where nap time is not only encouraged, it’s required
Here, where I long to reside
breathing in deeply while the
sun warms my face and the breeze cools my neck under my long hair.
Here, where heaven is everywhere and God makes Himself known without saying a word.
Where is your here when the noise of life becomes intrusive?
I find myself using this phrase quite a bit when I am attempting to find my “happy place” during moments of stress. Well, I found it and it’s too good not to share with you.
Meet Rebecca. She is responsible for some of the most beautiful plants and flowers I have ever seen. Specializing in dahlias of all colors, shapes and sizes. Truly, I have yet to find their equal.
She has other various types of flowers as well. We brought home a beautiful hibiscus plant that will brighten up our front flowerbed. I have assured her I will send a picture as soon as we put it in the ground under the crape myrtles.
Rebecca is located in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, in the town of Cashiers,
near Highlands. We have driven past her sign many times and never stopped, but on this particular day, I couldn’t help myself.
With macro lens in hand, I walked up to her porch to ask if I could take a few pictures of the exquisite garden. She was hesitant at first and the more I talked to her, the more I understood.
Rebecca is not only about surviving, she is about thriving. She raised 4 children as a single parent. Three boys and one girl, they are grown now and quite successful. She takes care of this plot of heaven on earth and calls North Carolina home.
She encounters all kinds of people from day to day, especially during the summer. Most are vacationers. Fortunately, she has wonderful, faithful customers. Unfortunately, she also has people drive up and start taking pictures of her beauties without even asking and when confronted, they shove their “I’m a professional photographer” garble in her face and make false promises to send her prints.
I compare that kind of behavior to someone coming 
up and snapping pictures of my children without my permission and then using the pictures for personal gain. NOT okay. So you can see why she was wary of me.
I had tucked my camera away and after a few minutes, she said that I was welcome to take pictures. When I say that I could have stayed there for hours capturing every intricate detail of these elegant masterpieces with their dainty petals, I am not exaggerating. And Rebecca is beyond knowledgeable about every single flower. She speaks of each one with such passion and adoration.
All of her plants are hand watered and they only receive organic nourishment. There are no pesticides or artificial anything added to them. The soil, the fertilizer, everything is prepared in such a way that the health of the flowers and their foliage is beyond reproach.
The reason I am sharing this with you is because I almost missed it. Do you hear me? I almost missed learning about this incredible lady who worked 17 hours a day to ensure that her children were fed, clothed, educated and had more than a roof over their heads.
Now, her fingernails stained with rich soil and her 
hands evident of the work she does, she tends to her gardens and shares the beauty of creation with anyone who wishes to partake. If you are in Cashiers, NC, you must stop by Rebecca’s Natural Gardens. Make sure you don’t miss the gift as I almost did and be sure to stay awhile and bask in her wisdom of God’s creation!
Below are pictures of my top 5 favorites. I was going to do 3, but it was too difficult to choose. And I thought 10 was too many. SO, here they are, in no particular order.
This is a dinner plate dahlia. It was larger than 10 inches and can grow to 12 inches around. Hence the name, dinner plate dahlia. I was completely enamored of it.
Look at the colors…the vibrant center. The camera doesn’t do them justice.
This is one of my favorites. We have a front row seat to the intoxicated bumblebee from the nectar of this flower. Clearly he prefers to only eat organic.
Magnificent
Clicking on a picture will open the gallery and allow you to scroll through. If you love a picture, please leave a comment under the one you like the most.
I’m a words of affirmation girl.
Even A Girl Like Me 