Happiness – Page 29 – Gracious Rain

June 20, 2009July 23, 2020

Shop Hop (part 2)

Home again, home again…jiggety-jog.

But ohhhhhhh—

…the winding highway we cruise-controlled…

…the quaint cottages we coveted…I mean, wished we lived in…wait…is that the same thing? Oh, whatever…

…the silky fibers I couldn’t keep my hands off of…stopped trying, actually…

…the amazing baby versions of the ABC song we sang…

…the basket full of prizes we get to keep…hee hee hee…don’t worry, I’m not trying to rhyme…

…the hollyhocks we sniffed–that is, until a bumblebee the size of a seagull showed up…

…the “finger-dancing” we did to all the 70’s music we could stand…

…the peaceful river we rested by…being careful not to disturb the residents…

…the fabulous old, old stuff that I sincerely tried to keep my hands off of…alas, in vain…

…the pretty porches we got to play on…I’m having one of those someday–I tell you…

…the 300-ish miles of people-less land we drove through…I mean, around…

…the millions of quilt-y things we took pictures of–for inspiration—which by-the-way, still look really hard to make…

…all to end up here—at this most beloved and sought after door…

…to turn in this card filled with a million stamps proving that we have driven around the world 3 times in the last couple of days…and now…

…will be resting these for a while as we dream of all the stuff we will most certainly win…

that…and about getting a touch up on the Iced Cranberry polish.

It’s time.

June 7, 2009July 23, 2020

Joy In the Journey

“This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.”

Thomas S. Monson

June 3, 2009July 24, 2020

Playing in the Dirt…

We finally, FINALLY put our cute little garden in last week and just sat back to cross our fingers.

tomatoes

garlic

peas

ornamental white mini pumpkin

ornamental regular mini pumpkin

regular big pumpkin–ok, we’re pumpkin freaks here. I know.

cucumbers

Bless their seedy-planty little hearts—they are growing! For those of you who are thinking, “DUH-what did you expect?” I’d say–whenever we bury a little seed or plant into the ground and it really actually grows–isn’t is still a wonder?

peppers

radishes

Oh, I’m just so proud of you– you cute little radishes!

Tell the truth–when you plant a package of seeds don’t you go check every morning to see if something is poking it’s head up out of the dirt yet? And when you find some brave little sprout…aren’t you so excited and happy and…well….isn’t it just SO COOL?

Ok, I’m done.

My seed-dirt-plant-sprout worship session is over.

“Thanks for noticing me,” and my baby garden.

Tell me–What are YOU planting these days?

May 31, 2009July 19, 2020

Lasting Happiness

“President Gordon B. Hinckley believed in the healing power of service. After the death of his wife, he provided a great example to the Church in the way he immersed himself in work and in serving others. It is told that President Hinckley remarked to one woman who had recently lost her husband, ‘Work will cure your grief. Serve others.’

“Those are profound words. As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.

“In today’s world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counterintuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn’t lead to lasting happiness.”

Dieter F. Uchtdor