In honor of my daughter..

My Favorite Photo (I've Ever Taken) 3 Brickfish

I'd like to deviate from my typical post today to share my daughters work. She has entered this photo in a competition to earn a scholarship for  college and can use your support. Voting is quick and easy and only takes a second. You can vote twice a day, everyday for the next 45 plus days. To win, she needs to make her way to the top. As of this writing, she is rated as 33 out of 8518. Points are earned both from votes and from posts to other sites, such a twitter, facebook and blogs.


Today, I am grateful for good friends, the generosity of strangers and sugar free French vanilla coffee creamer. I am grateful for family that lighten my load, for writers who share their knowledge and for photographers who capture what the eyes cannot. 

I am grateful for holiday wrappings, dangling ribbons and candy canes. 


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader as you stop to share my day. May your holidays be cheery and your heart be light.


UPDATE: 12/23/10: Her entry is now #28 out of 9251 entries. Thanks for your continued support.

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain...

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart



Photo by kananaskis_country


Sometimes, we become so focused on where we want to go that we forget to enjoy and appreciate everything around us. This is particularly true when our goals involve making money or paying the bills.Although keeping your goals in sight and maintaining focus on ways to achieve them is important to success, don't forget that without gratitude for what we already have, the journey is incomplete.

Take the time to look around you today, and learn to express your gratitude for all that is good and just in the world. You may not have reached your goals, yet--but there is great beauty and goodness around you, if you but take the time to look.

Resist the urge to think that you'll be happy when you attain your goals. As we learned in "Happy for No Reason" by Marci Schimoff, if we can't experience happiness where we are, we will not experience it by attaining more money or material things. Happiness comes from within when we appreciate what we have already been given. Only then, can we go forth with confidence to attain our goals.


Today, I am grateful for new fallen snow that envelops the world in white, for Christmas lights that twinkle into the night and for the stars in the heavens that perform their own light show. I am grateful for gentle music, purring cats and the sound of the wind.

I am grateful for eyes to see, ears to hear and a mouth to speak. I am grateful for the natural energy to do the things I love, for words that flow easily from my soul and and the ability to change negative thoughts to positive by simply changing my focus.
 
I am grateful for family, for friends, and for neighbors who keep my world secure, promise a bright future and share my life. I am grateful for opportunities to help others as they meet obstacles in their lives, to share their joy in celebrating their successes and to encourage them when times are tough.
 
And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you celebrate all that is good and pleasing in your life today as you work toward your goals.

“Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.”

Sometimes we think that dreams are just mysterious wishes that pop into our thoughts and our lives for no reason, and treat them as though they are fleeting fancies that belong to the night. Some dreams may be fleeting, but those that linger are given to your for a reason.

Consider the dreams of your heart today. Perhaps you want a better home, a happier lifestyle or perfect health.  Develop the courage to Follow Your Dreams because they will lead your where you need to go.


Today, I am grateful for the break of dawn, for the beginning of a new and glorious day, for courage and strength and vision as I go forth into the world today.

I am grateful for the vast universe that inspires awe, for a human body to house my soul and for the smell of rain and the feeling of approaching snow. I am grateful for evergreen trees that stand strong in winter storms.


I am grateful for family that makes my house home, for holidays to call us together and memories that build strong bonds.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May your follow your dreams today and learn from them what your need to learn.











Photo by NASA.gov

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”~Henri Matisse









Photo by nrichford 



Consider what you choose to see today. The world is filled with beauty, if we but take the time to look. Lift up your eyes today and gaze on all that is good an uplifting. 

Resist the urge to dwell on things that bring you down for they will surely color your day and blind you to your goals and dreams.


Today, I am grateful for breath, for a beating heart and for life that I might bring goodness to the world. I am grateful for the example set by those who have gone before me, for laughter of good friends and tears that wash away all pain.


I am grateful for summer flowers that succumb to frost for now, but will be reborn in the glorious spring. I am grateful for the changing seasons that remind me that there is a time for everything whether I recognize it or not.


I am grateful for family that keeps me strong, for community that that supports its members and for spider webs that glisten in the sun.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May your day be cheerful and may you always keep sight of the flowers.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson






photo by nrichford

So often in life, we become so focused on the thistles that we forget to see their beauty. Consider the lowly thistle today. It's prickers are sharp and it can be an annoyance, but with its bloom it brings us the soft down that serves to line the nests of the striking Goldfinch and inspired Clement Clark Moore when writing "Twas the Night Before Christmas."


If you have ever seen the down of a thistle as it floats through the air then "Away they all flew like the down of a thistle" takes on new meaning.


Examine the thistles in your life, today and consider what hidden beauty they may hold.
Sometimes, we become so focused on the things we do not want in our lives that we forget they may have gifts to bear. That momentary set back may well be a sign to take stock of your life, change your focus and look for undiscovered treasures. Take a moment today and seek out the beauty around you and appreciate all that you have. Only by deep appreciation and gratitude for what life has given us can we go forward to attain seemingly unreachable goals. 

Today, I am grateful for misty air that once again promises rain, for the squirrel that stamps his angry feet to scare me from his path and for soft gray clouds that envelop my world. I am grateful for dancing leaves, thistle blossoms and bold wild flowers. I am grateful for another day to share my thoughts, to laugh and to enjoy the wonders of the world around me.


I am grateful for new babies and I am grateful for those yet to be born as they have much to give to this world. I am grateful that my heart holds compassion for those who struggle, that I have eyes that see beyond the surface and the drive to make a difference. I am grateful for family and friends who help me make sense of the world when it becomes confusing, from guidance from an unseen force that I call God when I lose my way, and for the knowledge that the path is always open if I but open my eyes and see it.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader as you stop and share my day. May you take the time to see the beauty around you today as you go forth to reach your goals.

Beauty

 “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

God visits my garden every morning and I do my best to join him there. I am always amazed by its beauty in the rich color and peaceful energy.

Concentrate on the beauty around you today. Take the time to look. You may be surprised by what beauty there is in your own backyard that your busy life simply hasn't allowed you the time to see.

Today, I am grateful for the mighty winds that cast the clouds across the sky, for singing insects that remind me that life goes on just as it should whether I notice or not, and for squirrels that prance beneath my feet making the way to my bird feeder.I am grateful for the opportunity to work, for whispering leaves and for grass that feels cool beneath my feet. I am grateful for the exquisite beauty of shadows cast by a rising sun, for crisp tender vegetables from my garden and for wind chimes that add music to the air.I am grateful for family and friends who make life full and help me see the world through another's eyes. I am grateful for beginnings, for hard work and hope for a bright tomorrow.And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May your day be filled with beauty as you go forth toward your future.