Thankfulness from The Shenandoah Valley

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

(Our pond)

Gratitude for God’s many blessings is where I want my focus to be and not to dwell on what I don’t have.  This Thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for my family. Our newest grandbaby, Charlie, is celebrating his first Thanksgiving with us. Each loved one is infinitely precious. I’m grateful for our home and farm and am richly mindful that I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  I’m thrilled we were able to dig out and redo our farm pond this year and we got needed rains to fill what had been am empty dry crater. Now, it teems with life.

(Our pond with ducks, geese, and swan)

(Charlie and my dad, our oldest and youngest family members)

Good friends are one of life’s greatest blessings and I am grateful for everyone.  I love my bit of earth and look forward to getting back out into the garden in the new year and creating some order in the wild beauty.  Note I said ‘some’ as I know I will never entirely win over the wilderness. But I glory in growing things.

(Sunflowers growing in front of our barn)

I’m also grateful for my writing gift, and that I have a new release coming out the first of the year.  My Civil War themed time travel romance, Secret Lady, is out on January 9th and in pre-order at Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KNL7K3Z/

After a long slump, I am finally plugging along again on my WIP (work in progress). I would be lost without my writing, and am when I’m in a hole. My late grandfather used to say there was no excuse for boredom if you have a good imagination and I do.  I think a vivid imagination is both a blessing and a curse,  at times, but I’m wired to be creative, so I’m running with it.

(Puppy Cooper and Sparky McGee–our newest furbabies)

My furbabies are a vital part of my life and I’m so thankful for my dogs and kitties.  The searing pain that accompanies the inevitable passing of a furry friend is offset by the happiness and companionship they give me.  The only way I know to compensate for the loss of a dearly loved furbaby is to open my heart and home to a new one. I’m big into pet adoption and urge everyone to consider adopting a needy puppy/dog or cat/kitten this holiday.

(Our pond in the recent ice storm)

I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving and may God richly bless you.

What are you particularly thankful for?

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. ~American Indian saying

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

I’ve been so engrossed in my gardening, I nearly forgot it was Earth Day. Some images and quotes below to mark the day.

(My front garden in April. Virginia bluebells in the foreground. My dear grandmother gave me a start of these decades ago and they have thrived.)

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood, “Unearthing Suite,” 1983  (I’ve certainly been covered in dirt lately)

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout (I love this quote and greatly admire the wonderful Ruth Stout and her gardening wisdom.)

(Most mornings I wake up to geese in my yard and garden. How about you?)

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. ~Mark Twain (Yep. And this spring has been extra wacky)

‘Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.’ ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day. ~W. Earl Hall

(Another shot of the bluebells and tulips)

April is a promise that May is bound to keep. ~Hal Borlan

Every April, God rewrites the Book of Genesis. ~Author Unknown (I know what he means, new life and all that. Like the valley is recreated each spring)

Exciting spring smells waft through wide open windows… ~David J. Beard (1947–2016), tweet, 2009 March 7th

The window is open and a warm, delicious little breeze comes wandering in. It smells of magnolias and dogwood and it whispers in our ears enticing little stories of gurgling brooks and cool woods. Yes, we have got spring fever and got it bad. ~Country Life, June 1922 (Me, too)

(This deep purple lilac has been on the farm since long before my time. Does anyone not like lilacs? I love them.)

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
~Robert Frost (I do, indeed)
The sun has come out… and the air is vivid with spring light. ~Byron Caldwell Smith, letter to Kate Stephens

…the sweet wildflower breath of spring… ~Terri Guillemets (I have planted oodles of wildflower seeds. Pics to come.)

(Puffy flowering pussy willow)

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. ~William Shakespeare

It’s spring! Farewell
To chills and colds!
The blushing, girlish
World unfolds
Each flower, leaf
And blade of sod—
Small letters sent
To her from God.
~John Updike, “April,” A Child’s Calendar, 1965

(My front garden in April. Note the much used wheelbarrow in back)

Spring: the music of open windows. ~Terri Guillemets

A little madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King.
~Emily Dickinson

The front door to springtime is a photographer’s best friend. ~Terri Guillemets, “Cephalophyllum,” 2007 (True)

(My back garden with cherry blossoms, herbs, flowers…preparing to bloom)

Spring in verses
Verses in spring.
~Terri Guillemets

Miracle Max: “You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.”

Buttercup: We’ll never survive.

Westley: Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has.

****

Buttercup: You mock my pain.

Man in Black: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

****

Vizzini: HE DIDN’T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

****

Westley: I told you I would always come for you. Why didn’t you wait for me?

Buttercup: Well… you were dead.

Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.

Buttercup: I will never doubt again.

Westley: There will never be a need.

****

Westley: Why won’t my arms move?

Fezzik: You’ve been mostly-dead all day.

****

Man in Black: Look, are you just fiddling around with me or what?

Fezzik: I just want you to feel you’re doing well.

****

Prince Humperdinck: [draws sword] For the last time, surrender!

Westley: DEATH FIRST!

****

Grandpa: Westley didn’t reach his destination. His ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never left captives alive. When Buttercup got the news that Westley was murdered…

The Grandson: Murdered by pirates is good…

****

Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.

Fezzik: Fuss, fuss… I think he like to scream at *us*.

Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no *harm*.

Fezzik: He’s really very short on *charm*.

Inigo Montoya: You have a great gift for rhyme.

Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.

Vizzini: Enough of that.

Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?

Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead.

Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it.

Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?

Vizzini: DYEEAAHHHHHH!

The Wisdom of Pooh

“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head.” ~Winnie the Pooh

“It is very hard to be brave, when you’re only a Very Small Animal.” ~Piglet

“Go ahead, eat all you want. But just try squeezing out the doorway.” ~Eeyore

“When speaking to a Bear of Very Little Brain, remember that long words may Bother him.” ~Winnie the Pooh

“When late morning rolls around and you’re feeling a bit out of sorts, don’t worry; you’re probably just a little eleven o’ clockish.” ~Pooh

“Owl flew past a day or two ago and noticed me. He didn’t actually say anything mind you, but he knew it was me. Very friendly of him, I thought. Encouraging.” ~Eeyore

“Sometimes, when people have quite finished taking a person’s house, there are one or two bits which they don’t want and are rather glad for a person to take back.” ~Eeyore

“When carrying a jar of honey to give to a friend for his birthday, don’t stop and eat it along the way.” ~ Winnie the Pooh

“When trying to ignore a knock at your door, don’t yell out, “No!” when someone asks, “Is anybody at home?” ~Rabbit

“When someone you love is wedged in a doorway and must wait to get thin enough to get out, read him a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort him.” ~Pooh

“Use caution when standing by the river bank minding your own business. You might get bounced into the water.”~Eeyore

“When stuck in the river, it is best to dive and swim to the bank yourself before someone drops a large stone on your chest in an attempt to hoosh you there.”~Eeyore

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” ~Winnie the Pooh

“When setting off on an Exposition, be sure to bring Provisions. Or, at the very least, things to eat.” ~ Pooh

“No Give and Take. No Exchange of Thought. It gets you nowhere, particularly if the other person’s tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.”~Eeyore

“Good morning, Pooh Bear,” said Eeyore gloomily. “If it is a good morning,” he said. “Which I doubt,” said he.

“It’s always useful to know where a friend-and-relation is, whether you want him or whether you don’t.” ~Rabbit

“Do join in the search for a lost friend-or-relation. But don’t be surprised when nobody bothers to tell you he’s been found and you search on alone for two days.” ~ Eeyore

Eeyore,” said Owl, “Christopher Robin is giving a party.”

“Very interesting,” said Eeyore. “I suppose they will be sending me down the odd bits which got trodden on. Kind and Thoughtful. Not at all, don’t mention it.”~

“I might have known,” said Eeyore. “After all, one can’t complain. I have my friends. Somebody spoke to me only yesterday. And was it last week or the week before that Rabbit bumped into me and said ‘Bother!’ The Social Round. Always something going on.”~

“Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.” ~Pooh

“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.

“So it is.”

“And freezing.”

“Is it?”

“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”~

Eeyore walked all round Tigger one way, and then turned and walked round him the other way. “What did you say it was?” he asked.

“Tigger.”

“Ah!” said Eeyore.

“He’s just come,” explained Piglet.

“Ah!” said Eeyore again. He thought for a long time and then said: “When is he going?”~

“Could you ask your friend to do his exercises somewhere else? I shall be having lunch directly, and don’t want it bounced on just before I begin. A trifling matter, and fussy of me, but we all have our little ways.” ~Eeyore

“Always be aware of how many pots of honey you have in the cupboard; it’s nice to be able to say, “I’ve got fourteen pots of honey left.” Or fifteen, as the case might be.” ~Pooh

“When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you’re coming.” ~Pooh

“I like the puffy white clouds. Aren’t they… that is… oh, my goodness. They’ve turned grey.” ~Winnie the Pooh

“Never trust a cloud, I always say.”~Eeyore

“It’s so much more friendly with two.” ~Piglet

“When you’re visiting a friend and you find that it is time for a little smackerel of something, try looking wistfully in the direction of the cupboard.” ~Pooh

“We can’t all, and some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it.” ~Eeyore

“Remember, nobody minds, nobody cares.” ~Eeyore

“When climbing up a tree on the back of a Tigger, be sure to find out before you start if the Tigger knows how to climb down.” ~Pooh

“When in doubt, keep in mind that “O gallant Piglet” is always a very thoughtful way of beginning a piece of poetry.” ~Piglet

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve

Take hope. Each new day holds possibilities, and God is with us, even though sometimes it may not seem so. Below are some inspiring quotes to uplift our spirits as we go into 2017 with sunrise images from the farm.

(Sunrise of glory on the farm taken by me)

Hope is the physician of each misery. ~Irish Proverb

God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us — in the dreariest and most dreaded moments — can see a possibility of hope. ~Maya Angelou

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all….
~Emily Dickinson, c.1861

What is Hope? a star that gleaming
O’er the future’s troubled sky,
Struggles, tremulously beaming,
To reveal what there may lie.
~R.A.P., “Hope,” in Southern Literary Messenger, December 1840

(Morning has broken taken by hubby Dennis)

Where hope would otherwise become hopelessness, it becomes faith. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

All it takes is one bloom of hope to make a spiritual garden. ~Terri Guillemets

You’ve gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless. Without hope life is meaning less and less. ~Author Unknown

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. ~Anne Lamott

(Fiery sunrise by me)

Hope is warmth against the cold winter of adversity. ~Terri Guillemets

Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man. ~Victor Hugo

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. ~George Iles

Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them. ~Vincent McNabb

When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
~Author Unknown

“Every life should have nine cats.” And several dogs.

The dastardly duo, my Siamese/tabby mixes Peaches and Cream, patrol the house seeking for anything to get into. They thoroughly enjoyed ransacking Christmas presents and the glorious tree. Big fans.

When in a calm mode, Peaches is a lap cat, as is our curmudgeonly older tabby, Percy. Between them, they manage to share me, though I’m hard-pressed at times to find space for my laptop.

Insatiably curious Cream sits by my head, purrs in my ear, and nibbles my hair. He’s also box mad. Loves Amazon box day (pictured below).

My tiny pom-poo Sadie Sue resides at my feet, and rescue dog, Jilly, on the love seat by the couch.

Two more kitties, Siamese mix, Pavel, and our elderly Minnie Mae prefer to perch overhead on the couch like vultures.

Sadie saves my seat for me when I get up. All of these furry friends aid in my writing. Some not as helpful as others, but each are faithful supporters. On those occasions when Peaches and Cream go coo-coo kitty, Sadie and I attempt to regain order, with little success. Cat herding is a thankless job, as Sadie will attest. Except for the odd scolding, Jilly mostly ignores the pair.

(Sadie Sue saving my seat)

(Jilly Lou being shy)

“Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. ~Robertson Davies

“Cats choose us; we don’t own them.”—Author Kristin Cast

“If you want to write, keep cats.”
—Author Aldous Huxley

“If you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work … the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle placidly under the desk lamp … The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding.” ~ Muriel Spark, A Far Cry from Kensington

“You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense.”
—Jane Pauley (journalist, The Today Show)

“I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”
—Edgar Allan Poe (author, “The Raven”)

“Books, Cats, Life is Good.” ~ Edward Gorey

“I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don’t want to get up. She’s so much more calming than my husband.” ~ Joyce Carol Oates

“It is very inconvenient habit of kittens (Alice had once made the remark) that, whatever you say to them they always purr.”
—Lewis Carroll (author, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

(Cream loves him a good Christmas tree)

“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”

―Hippolyte Taine (critic)

“If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much.” ~Mark Twain

“Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.” ~Joseph Wood Krutch

“As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.” ~Ellen Perry Berkeley

“The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or an axe-murderer.” ~Paula Poundstone

“Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.” ~Pam Brown

“There has never been a cat
Who couldn’t calm me down
By walking slowly
Past my chair.”
~Rod McKuen

“There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat.” ~Tay Hohoff

“I like cats a lot. I’ve always liked cats. They’re great company. When they eat, they always leave a little bit at the bottom of the bowl. A dog will polish the bowl, but a cat always leaves a little bit. It’s like an offering.” ~Christopher Walken

“A happy arrangement: many people prefer cats to other people, and many cats prefer people to other cats.” ~Mason Cooley

“Every life should have nine cats.”

***Fortunately, Peaches and Cream take a lot of naps, or this house would be in worse shape than it is. Images by daughter Elise Trissel

Vintage Christmas Cards From Old Family Trunk

My mom took pics of the old cards she found in a family trunk. I love these nostalgic cards and the memories they evoke. Not that I lived back then, but the names are familiar and I’ve heard stories about these family members and friends who have gone before me. Some I even remember in their later years.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind. ~Loring A. Schuler

This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone. ~Taylor Caldwell

It is the Christmas time:
And up and down ‘twixt heaven and earth,
In glorious grief and solemn mirth,
The shining angels climb.
~Dinah Maria Mulock

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! ~Charles N. B

As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is. ~Eric Sevareid

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year — and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. ~W.J. Cameron

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C.Farley

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. ~W.J. Ronald Tucker

Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Some of us are finding our way. In need of inspiration? God knows I am. Sharing some quotes from the ever inspiring Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring. I love the camaraderie, the loyalty, the sacrifice, and the profound truth.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

And so I am pondering.

Very cute exchange below. One of my favorite ever.

Aragorn: “Gentlemen, we do not stop ’til nightfall.”

Pippin: “What about breakfast?”

Aragorn: “You’ve already had it.”

Pippin: “We’ve had one, yes. What about second breakfast?”

[Aragorn turns and walks off in disgust]

Merry: “I don’t think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.”

Pippin: “What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn’t he?”

Merry: “I wouldn’t count on it.”~

Legolas: “Lembas!” [nibbles a corner] “One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man!”

Merry: [to Pippin] “How many did you eat?”

Pippin: “Four.”~

Aragorn: “I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail.”

Boromir: “Our people, our people. I would have followed you, my brother… my captain… my king.”

Aragorn: “Be at peace, Son of Gondor.”~

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo: “Go back, Sam. I’m going to Mordor alone.”

Sam: “Of course you are. And I’m coming with you.”~

Pippin: “Are we lost?”

Merry: “No.”

Pippin: “I think we are.”

Merry: “Shh. Gandalf’s thinkin’.”

Pippin: “Merry?”

Merry: “What?”

Pippin: “I’m hungry.”~

Aragorn: “Are you frightened?”

Frodo: “Yes.”

Aragorn: “Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.”~

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” ~Gandalf to Frodo

“I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” ~Galadriel to Frodo

“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Arwen: Do you remember when we first met?

Aragorn: I thought I had wandered into a dream.

Arwen: Long years have passed. You did not have the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I told you?

Aragorn: You said you’d bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people.

Arwen: And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone. [hands him her pendant]

Arwen: I choose a mortal life.

Aragorn: You cannot give me this.

Arwen: It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart.~

(Arwen and Aragorn)

“But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,’ said Frodo.

Sam looked at him unhappily. ‘It all depends on what you want,’ put in Merry. ‘You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin–to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours–closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“Yes, I am here. And you are lucky to be here too after all the absurd things you’ve done since you left home.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“Love came down at Christmas.” ~Christina Rossetti

 

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas
(***Vintage American Christmas Card above from our family)

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.”  ~Washington Irving

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” ~Peg Bracken

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!”~Hamilton Wright Mabie

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” ~Harlan Miller

(***Kitty Pabel helping to decorate)

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together.” ~Alexander Smith

“Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!”
~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

“A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.”

“For the spirit of Christmas fulfills the greatest hunger of mankind.”~Loring A. Schuler

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.” ~Taylor Caldwell
~Eva Logue

“At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year.”
~Thomas Tusser

“It is the Christmas time:
And up and down ‘twixt heaven and earth,
In glorious grief and solemn mirth,
The shining angels climb.”

“Great little One! whose all-embracing birth
Lifts Earth to Heaven, stoops Heaven to Earth.”
~Richard Crashaw

“Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.”~Christina Rossetti
~Dinah Maria Mulock

‘God is good, but never dance in a small boat,’ and Other Wisdom

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~Roald Dahl

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

“Be patient. The best things happen unexpectedly.”

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~Dr. Seuss

“It’s a slow process, but quitting won’t speed it up.” This can apply to most any undertaking

“Give it to God and go to sleep.”

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”

“All glory comes from daring to begin.”

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” ~Maya Angelou

“Follow your heart but take your brain with you.”

“If you can’t say something nice, say it in French.” ~BabeWalker.com

“If you still care about it, you still care about it.”

“The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes.” ~mark nepo

“It doesn’t matter what others are doing. It matters what YOU are doing.” ~ss

“Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent.” ~BeHappy.me

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”

“Even the nicest people have their limits.”

“God has a plan even when you don’t.”

“Surround yourself with the things you love. Discard the rest.”

“Let what you love be what you do.” ~Rumi

“All it takes is one song to bring back a thousand memories.”

“See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.” ~Pope John XXIII

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” ~Jimmy Johnson

“Don’t look where you fall, but where you slipped.” ~African Proverb

“Do not fall before you are pushed.” ~English Proverb

“When you throw dirt, you lose ground.” ~Texan Proverb

“God is good, but never dance in a small boat.” ~Irish Saying

“Let go or be dragged.” ~Author Unknown

“Spread joy. Chase your wildest dreams.” ~Patch Adams

“Whatever you are be a good one.” ~Abraham Lincoln