My son snagged this amazing shot with his iPhone down the lane to our home one evening this week when the clouds were rolling in.
I love the beauty of the lush green “life,” the bright blue sky of “hope,” and the looming “sadness’ in the darkness under the puffy white clouds.
It reminded me of a dear friend who has been on my mind constantly lately who is going through a difficult period while she tends to her parents’ needs at her father’s journey at end of life.
It made me think of life and hope and sadness and how we all deal with all of it every day – – ย often every moment of the day.
The lyrics of one of my all-time favorite songs came to mind, and I want to share them here for my sweet friend, Bub:
If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep you head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knocking at you doorYou just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
May we all find cherished moments of life and hope in times of darkness and sadness.
And may we all find comfort in friendship to get us through.
We may not be close enough in geographic proximity to literally always show up and knock on the door, but we can reach out in so many other ways to be there for each other.
Be life and hope in someone’s darkness today.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
yes, jodi. i like the promise of the blue sky in the background
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Yes. Thank you Beth. ๐
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Stunning photo! It almost looks like a golf course. I also love that song, You’ve Got a Friend. I haven’t heard it in a long time. So sweet of you to support your sweet friend, Bub for what he is having to experience right now in his and his parent’s life. We do need to be there for each other because it makes those difficult times in our lives much easier.
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One of the all time greatest songs to me.
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I agree. ๐
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Oh Jodi this is a awesome picture and what you wrote is lovely and so touching! Can I reblog it? Thank you dear friend for the smiles you bring to my life!
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It would be my honor for you to share sweet C!!
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Thank you Jodi and good thoughts and blessings to you and your friend Bub. we all need a helping hand. You send out so much love and friendhsip to all of us, it is always well received. Have a beautiful Sunday.
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You are in a similar place my friend and in my heart too. ๐
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What a sweet, moving post, Jodi. I think I know who Bub is, too, just from following your blog. Blessings to her and her parents, and to you, for lifting her and her family up in your heart today. You’re a good woman, my friend. โค
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Yes my sweet Bub has been on the blog before. She is one of my besties and is so in my heart these days.
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โค๏ธ
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Thank you Jodi, there is always a balance in life somewhere, you just have to learn to recognize it when you see it…
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Indeed wise Jenna! ๐
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Fabulous photo he captured and very wonderful and wise words. You’re a beautiful light in this world, Jodi. โค๏ธ
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What a beautiful thing to say Charlie!! I think the same of you. โค๏ธ
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Very nice post Jodi, and you know what? I believe you, I truly feel you would come knocking at my door it I called. What a special feeling that is. Thanks dear friend and Happy Sunday! ๐
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Oh terry. You brought tears to my eyes and a big smile. I don’t think you could’ve said a nicer thing.
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Your blog here is genuine – it reflects what a wonderful person you are. ๐
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Thank you buddy – it really is just me. simply me. ๐ but I am not always wonderful – I just share the good stuff – lol – we all have enough of BS we have to deal with.
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You always bring a ray of sunshine with you, Jodi! ๐๐ I like this song too! Nice to have friends like you in this crazy world! ๐๐โค๏ธ
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What a sweet thing to say – thank you Jilly! โค
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What a beautiful and inspiring post…and James Taylor, too. And your son’s photo is a perfect illustration for the message you’re sharing. Thank you for taking time to express these thoughts.
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Thank you Judith! ๐
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What a gorgeous picture!! Love this and yes being the light in someone’s darkness!
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thank you Lynn! ๐
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Your son’s photo captures so well some of the phases of our lives : everything looks green around us , but there are some dark clouds approaching , and yet the blue skies keep reminding us that there is hope and good to come – especially if we can count with good friends like you Jodi .
Your friend Bub is lucky to have you as a friend ๐
And the song , well that was our song when my husband and I started going out together as friends (like … 40 years ago ???)
Turtle Hugs
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Oh T – you totally get what I saw in this photo! And I am the lucky one, truly, to have my Bubby for a friend. How sweet that this was a special song for you and your hubby! It is truly a classic! Hugs back!
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โค
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You being there for Bub IS the ray of light in the darkness that gathers. โค
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That’s what friends are for…….. in good times……in bad……. ๐
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Stunning pic, stunning words – and such a beautiful song. Jodi you are awesome. x
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you are very sweet – thank you Lynne!
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If the sky above you
Grows blue without any clouds
And that warm Soouth wind begins to blow
remember my sunny Spirit…
Youโve got a friend.
nice post, Jodi. Lately we have had rather too many of those dark clouds..
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I like your version! Thanks! ๐
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What a beautiful photograph, Jodi! And comforting words on such a sad day, thinking of Orlando, Florida. May hope and love be with those who are involved. ๐ข
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Yes – craziness in Orlando – eh? So much darkness sometimes – but there is so much light too – right? and we must be that light.
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The post is very thought-provoking and inspiring. And, the photo illustrates it perfectly.
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Thank you Sheryl.
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I shared this with my mom. I so appreciate having you in my life, Jodi. I also would like to thank everyone for all their well wishes. This is a very difficult time and has also at times been very joyful. I know I will always have a friend.
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Oh my sweet Bub! You are so loved! โค
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We all need encouragement from time to time, and these are some wonderful thoughts.
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Thank you paul
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:O)
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Amen to that, Jodi.
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A lovely, loving-kind post of encouragement Jodi to all those who are going through life situations. This is a beautiful inspiring message and also teaches us – to think more about others.
We may think, others’ lives are all peachy. but we have absolutely no inkling at all what their real world -reality is. Your post wakes us up! Great post and photo.
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Thank you Debi! You are soooo right! We never know what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and all we can do is be a friend….. ๐
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What a lovely post, so many of us are dealing with similar circumstances.
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Thank you Beth. I’m glad you appreciated. ๐
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Very beautiful Jody the great photo inspired your touching post! You are a special soul! โค Carolina
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James Taylor has been on my mind as well. Beautiful photo, capturing the full range of the world in one place. (K)
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I always think of the Carol King version first – remember the album Tapestry? ๐ But love James Taylor as well. And I loved what Nick captured in the photo too. Glad he let me share ๐
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Yes Carol King too. But I was in love with James back then…
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lol – weren’t we all? ๐
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Reblogged this on Nuggets of Gold and commented:
My sweet friend Jodi wrote this yesterday for her blog. It struck a chord with me and I asked her if I could reblog it, she happily obliged. HOPE has always been an important theme to me. Yesterday I wrote about sadness amidst tragedy. Today I wanted to do a post on HOPE. In this post she talks about being there for a friend going through a hard time. I Have SO APPRECIATED my friends that have been there for me and my family and that are still there as we deal with tough issues. So even tho I may not have wrote it, this post is for you my friends! Thank you and know I am there for you as well, that’s what friends are for ๐ โค
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You are very special C! ๐ โค
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I’m stopping by from Carolyn’s blog. This is a beautiful post! My middle child, Kris, sang that song in a school play and it has always held a special place in my heart. ๐
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How special that must have been. Thanks for visiting Kat โบ๏ธ
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What a stunning photo, and what a very moving post. I love the way you acknowledge life’s difficulties, but rather than simply complaining about them, you always encourage us to see the good in life. And to help each other when someone needs a helping hand to keep going. Love, love your blog, Jodi!
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Awh – thank you so much, Ann – blogging has really helped me too – in order to encourage others and see the bright side, I must look for it myself – so I hope it makes me a better person in the process ๐
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What a lovely post, Jodi … and a gorgeous photo. Yes, there is always hope … if we only look for it … in others, in our surroundings, and in our own hearts and souls! Anita ๐
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Thank you Anita! So very true! ๐
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I enjoyed your son’s photo and your post, Jodi, so inspiring!
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Thank you Donna!
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