Mariposa Latin Inspired Grille, Sedona, Arizona – July 2017
Mariposa (the Spanish word for butterfly).
Being
Becoming
Blooming
Creating
Discovering
Embracing
Evolving
Flowing
Fluttering
Forgetting
Forgiving
Growing
Inspiring
Learning
Living
Loving
Overcoming
Reflecting
Remembering
Soul Searching
Surviving.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Orange Begonia – July, 2017 – Mars, PA
We don’t always grow when things are easy,
We don’t always blossom when the sun is bright.
Grow through the challenges.
Blossom through the darkness.
Life your life as fully and courageously and boldly as you can.
It’s your opportunity to bloom!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS Thanks, Jan, for these beautiful flowers, they are still vibrantly blossoming!
Purple Petunias
Stars don’t only shine at night.
Attract what you expect.
Reflect what you desire.
Become what you respect.
Mirror what you admire.Author Unknown
InspirationQuotesMagazine.com
Shine on Stars…
Shine on!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Into the Woods in our Backyard June 25, 2017 Mars, PA
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Yesterday was one of those
most amazingly glorious
Summer Sundays.
No agenda,
bright sunshine,
cool breeze.
I woke early,
sipped my coffee on the deck
with the birds and the rising sun.
I made old-fashioned macaroni salad
to chill and be just right
to accompany grilled burgers for dinner.
I took my watercolors
out onto the patio,
and I painted for hours.
And when it was time to move a bit,
Charlie and I headed to the woods
in our backyard.
We hiked until we got lost,
and then we found our way out through a neighbor’s backyard
on an intersecting street to ours.
It was a sauntering walk
with stops to breathe it all in, smell the fresh air,
and commune with nature.
The woods are a great place
to learn how truly small you
and your problems really are.
It’s a place to be small,
but come out feeling bigger
and better and complete.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Goldfinch and Grosbeak at the feeder – Mars, PA – June, 2017
Sometimes
I wonder
how you put up
with me.
Then I remember,
oh I put up with you.
So we’re even.
Author unknown
Lovingly dedicated to a guy I call “Merv.”
He calls me “Gert.”
I put up with him.
He puts up with me.
Let’s do it until eternity. ❤
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA – June, 2017
How do you say “Thank You”
for sunshine or health…
for clear days or gentle rains…
for happiness, joy or love?
You say it by sharing
what you have.
You say it by making
the world a better place in which to live.
-Thomas D. Willhite
How do YOU say “Thank You?”
I say it by trying to share something small every day
in this tiny little platform that is mine
to give to the world
a little bit of happiness…
a little bit of joy…
a little bit of love.
My “Thank You” might be
a photograph,
or a painting,
or a craft or DIY idea.
It might be a favorite cherished
or newly discovered recipe.
It might be a verse
or a quote or a story.
But it is my “Thank You”
for sunshine and health…
for clear days and gentle rains…
for happiness, joy, and love.
It is my gift.
It is my little life.
It is my creative journey…
at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Advice from a Lake.
Be clear.
Make positive ripples.
Look beneath the surface.
Stay calm.
Don’t be shallow.
Cast away troubles.
Take time to reflect.
Be “reel.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*compilation of thoughts from Pinterest – authors unknown
Photo taken 05/21/17 Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, PA – First Spring boat ride of the season
After the rain
the world is a little softer –
edges blur and drip and shimmer.
After the rain
bright, beautiful reflections are illuminated
through droplets like liquid mirrors.
After the rain
the earth smells of growth
and life and freshness and hope.
After the rain
my heart feels renewed
and cleansed and full of new possibilities.
After the rain.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In case you forgot to remind yourself this morning…
It’s a new day ready for fresh beginnings.
Your smile can light up a room.
Your beauty is way more than just your appearance.
You alone are more than enough.
You are doing a pretty awesome job at this thing called life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS – I also need to remind myself of this, and these maple tree seedpods I fondly remember as “helicopters” from my childhood spring days at Grandma’s remind me of the hope each day brings and the beauty and potential we all have within just waiting to be shared.
Cherish the Moments!
Sunrise on Forsythe – Mars, PA – 5/8/17
Even if no one bothers to look…
The sunrise, of course, doesn’t care if we watch it or not.
It will keep on being beautiful,
even if no one bothers to look at it.
Yesterday morning I was on the road very early
and couldn’t resist driving down one of my favorite roads in our little community.
It was a cold, but sunny morning
with a nip in the air and frost on the grass.
As the warmth of the sun shone,
the steam and fog rose from the ice crystal-kissed earth and cold creeks and ponds.
I drove home slowly on my way back from my early morning run,
sipping my steaming coffee, but drinking in the beginning of a new day.
I wish I took time to notice it more often….
It’s there – just waiting for me to enjoy its beauty.
And with or without me –
that sunrise just keeps on being beautiful!
It made me think a bit too…
About being beautiful.
No – not Hollywood beauty…
not Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition beauty.
But about being a beautiful person –
in my heart and in my thoughts and in my character and in my actions.
And I want to make an effort to be a beautiful person…
even if no one bothers to look.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Gene Amole also wrote a book I just bought on Amazon called “The Last Chapter.” I look forward to reading it and will share my thoughts.
the creative life in between 