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Rainy Day Gratitude

I awoke this morning to dark skies. And before long I could hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance. In that moment I felt my heart fill with Rainy Day Gratitude Let it rain! Let it rain! Let it rain! The birds are flocking the feeders outside my office window today. It seems that the rain is not bothering them either. I know it may not be fun for those who work Monday  through Friday for today, Saturday, to be a rainy day. But given the drought we’ve been experiencing (which is nothing like the drought other areas of Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Everyday Courage

  I feel very fortunate to be living here, now, in this place. But I know that not everyone is having an easy time. For those who are struggling and cannot find their way I hope that you find Everyday Courage today and always. Recently I had a small dose of worry and angst when both my cat Gracie and husband, Jon, seemed to be feeling unwell much of the time. Fortunately both of them are doing much better now. Sometimes, when I fear the small light I bring isn’t big enough or bright enough, I think of that night Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Flourishing

Today I’ve been thinking about Flourishing As the news bounces from one crisis to another it’s easy to lose oneself in angst and worry, which is in my mind, the opposite of flourishing. So what does it mean to choose to flourish in today’s world? flourish To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive. To do or fare well; prosper. To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence. — The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. For me it means that I spend a lot of time doing what I love and spending time with people Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

More Learning

Monday I finished buying new camera equipment (for a long while, I hope). Selecting a longer zoom lens for my new Olympus camera was a hard decision. Though I would have loved the reach of the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS Lens, it’s size and weight was more than I wanted to carry and the price was also more than I wanted to spend at this time. I ended up buying an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150 mm F4.0 PRO lens. It has an effective reach of 80-300 mm, giving me coverage of 24 – 300 mm between Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Glorious Gladioli

I found a bouquet of gladioli stems this morning at Bachman’s. What beauties they are! Glorious Gladioli These wonderful flowers always remind me of my mom and dad. Every spring in our oh-so-practical vegetable garden on our farm, my dad would plant two long rows of gladioli, simply because he knew that my mother loved them. And every summer come late July or early August our house would be filled with gladiolus flowers. Each fall dad would dig up the bulbs and store them in an unheated room in our basement. Every few years mom would buy a few new Read more…

By Marilyn, ago