Beautiful Nature · Steven Solveig

I don’t ever crave extraordinary moments anymore. Just small, gentle hums of beauty streaming from below, above, simply from paying attention.
Sound. Light. Shadow. Art. Warmth.
The night. The morning.
Dreams that are not faraway but exist right here- already in my days, hands and heart ..

Victoria Erickson 

Artist Credit: Naoko Stoop

Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

My historical relatives

Welp, according to a popular genealogy site I have some pretty impressive relatives! Some I'm facinated by, others not so much. However, all of them are very well known. Helen Keller is my 8th cousin three times removed and Susan B. Anthony is my 5th cousin six times removed. Not positive how accurate this information is, but it did give me pause for thought. QEII is my 8th cousin twice removed... wow! Elvis Pressley is my 8th cousin three times removed. Check out this list...

Alison Krauss - I'll fly away

...one teetering and endless thread

“I think it's a deep consolation to know that spiders dream, that monkeys tease predators, that dolphins have accents, that lions can be scared silly by a lone mongoose, that otters hold hands, and ants bury their dead. That there isn't their life and our life. Nor your life and my life.

That it's just one teetering and endless thread and all of us, all of us, are entangled with it as deep as entanglement goes.”

~Kate Forster

Source: Facebook - American Literature

One Star

The stars

shine

to remind

someone

to keep

going.

When the day

is done

and heaves

its final

breath into

the shadows,

someone

runs outside

and stretches

their gaze

as far as they

possibly can

and tries to

seize each

glorious fleck

of distant fire.

Someone

drops to their

knees

and prays

out loud

and desperately

wishes

those majestic

balls of light

would hear

their earthly

pleading.

And with tears

streaming

to the ground,

someone

raises their arms

and spreads

determined hands

all the way up

to heaven.

Every night,

someone

is plucking

one star

from that cold,

dark sea

and carrying

its warm flicker

of hope

into the

very next

morning.

~ 'One Star' by Susan Frybort
~ Art by Juksung Lee
~Source: Facebook - Spirit of a Hippie

Choose what you fight for wisely.

 

I once asked a very successful woman to share her secret with me. She smiled and said to me…
“I started succeeding when I started leaving small fights for small fighters.
I stopped fighting those who gossiped about me…
I stopped fighting with my in laws…
I stopped fighting for attention…
I stopped fighting to meet peoples expectation of me…
I stopped fighting for my rights with inconsiderate people..
I stopped fighting to please everyone…
I stopped fighting to prove they were wrong about me….
I left such fights for those who have nothing else to fight…
And I started fighting for my vision, my dreams, my ideas and my destiny.
The day I gave up on small fights is the day I started becoming successful & so much more content.”
Some fights are not worth your time….. Choose what you fight for wisely.

Author: Lim Teck Yong
Artist: Pepper Tharp

Source: Facebook - Stories of Light

Maybe Christmas, means a little bit more..

 

It came without ribbons

It came without bows

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas, means a little bit more..

Dr Seuss

Artist Credit: Bijde Hansje

Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

All I really want for Christmas

My kids are nearing 50 and this still hits home...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that big pieces of my heart are living somewhere else most of the time, this list is all I really want for Christmas. 

1. To send my college student and my career kid this text: “what meals do you want me to make for you while you’re home?”

2. My children’s favorite ornaments saved for them to hang on the tree.

3. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” playing on a repeat loop.

4. To feel like a little kid on Christmas because my big kid is coming home for Christmas.

5. To put fuzzy sheets on a bed that hasn’t been slept in for months.

6. Stockings hung by the chimney with care in hopes that the owners of those stockings soon will be there.

7. To get this text from my child: “heading home.”

8. To bake batches of cookies that never last long enough to get stale.

9. For the number of plates (from the special Christmas dish set) I get out for dinner and the number of people in my immediate family to be the same number.

10. For everyone who calls me “mom” to be asleep under my roof.

11. To make a double batch of pancakes on a Saturday morning…and still run out.

12. More laundry in the basket, more coats hanging by the door, more shoes piled on the mud room floor, more cell phones charging in every outlet not being used by a Christmas light.

13. The sound of my children’s voices laughing together in the same room.

14. To hug my young adults, just because I can.

15. To think to myself that I need to text my child to tell them something…and then realize I can just walk into the living room and tell them in person.

16. To go to bed at night without leaving my phone on because all the people who might need to call me at 3 a.m. are within earshot.

17. To need to buy more milk, more cereal, more bananas, more laundry detergent, more toilet paper, and more—much, much more—pizza.

18. “Silent Night” played in a noisy house.

19. A Christmas movie marathon with the whole cast.

20. Family game night with all the players. 

21. To do everything on our “next time you’re home” list.

And maybe, just for a moment, to forget that my children are home, pass by a room and see them there, and feel like I’ve just found a gift under the tree on Christmas morning that I’d forgotten I asked for but wanted more than anything.

Credit - original owner (respect)

Source: Facebook - Very Interesting

Thank you so much for shining into such a dim world.

To the people who spend countless hours picking out the most detailed yard decor, untangling the lights from storage, hammering and hanging things for hours in the cold, and even sometimes climbing on their roof: thank you.

What you do is more than just decorating for a month or so. Your displays truly touch the hearts of people you’ll most likely never meet.

Your lights are actually the backdrop for family joy during the holidays. Families bundle up and make special plans to venture off around town to find the coolest lights—and you’re one of them. All the little voices that “ooh” and “aah” in the backseat eventually shift to 20-something-year-olds telling stories starting off like “remember that one house?”

Beyond lighting up your yard, the decorations have the ability to light up the more saddened lives.

For the depressed person who feels immensely heavy during the holidays, a pass by your house could be a quick reminder that beauty and joy still lingers.

For the stressed parent juggling so much, the lights can be a moment of pause and smiling through the chaos.

For the lonely individual who lives alone and has to drive by your road to get home, the intricate decorations work as a wordless invitation into the warmth of the season.

And for the older person who can no longer put up their own lights, seeing your home glow through the wee hours of the night may bring bittersweet memories that someone else is carrying the torch.

Your lights do not just sparkle in present moment; it gives lingering, glowing memories for years.

Your effort, your time, your money, and your ideas do not go unnoticed this year.

Thank you so much for shining into such a dim world.

Source: Facebook - Denis Phillips/News Personality - Shared from a viewer.

What A Wonderful World | Sarah Kroger (Official Music Video)

Frank Sinatra - The First Noel (Visualizer)

Thinking of you...

Source: Facebook - Life's Daily Treasures 

We pray for Christmas miracles this year.

 

Dear Jesus,

We pray for Christmas miracles this year.

Not just miracles regarding “things”, but specifically, miracles regarding souls.

Lord, we lift up the people who don’t know You, have run from You, or have been hurt by people who they thought represented You.

You know them by name, you know the number of hairs on their head.. these people were Your idea.

We pray that they would feel the joy of Your spirit. The peace in Your presence. The comfort of Your love.

There is something about Christmas time that can make the hardest of hearts at least start to ponder…

“Could it be?”

“Could He really be who they say He is?”

Jesus, I pray You’d meet them in a way that would ignite a flame in their hearts. That they would know You are worth pursuing, and feel that You’ve always been pursuing them.

Even if it’s just one person, we know heaven celebrates.

And Jesus, I know what You would say…

You can do miracles, You can change hearts, You can bring people to You, all on Your own.

But I just imagine You whisphering, “hey, I want you all to do this with Me.”

So Lord, help us be Your hands and feet. Help us love so radically that people know the love isn’t our own.

Help us be a part of the miracles.

Amen.

~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog

Source: Facebook - Welcome Home

O Holy Night

Maybe you’re not “feeling it”

 

Maybe you’re not “feeling it” this holiday season and that’s okay.

Maybe you’re tired, sad, lonely, grieving, broke or for no clear reason just not in the holiday mood, and that’s okay.

There are so many messages surrounding us telling us to be happy and excited and if you’re there, that’s great.
But if you’re not, that’s okay too.

Be gentle with yourself and give yourself room to be real.
And while you’re being real, look out for someone who could use a smile, a dollar or two, a warm lunch, a blanket, a little compassion and a little attention because they’re “feeling it” even less than you are.

And if you think you need help, please reach out and ask for a hand.
You are important, you deserve it and you will get to a better place at another time.
Hang in there and consider this note a hug and a smile and then pass it along. It’s all okay and so are you.

Source: Facebook - Welcome Home

CeeLo Green "Mary Did You Know" Official Music Video - The Bible Series....

for KING + COUNTRY - Little Drummer Boy (Official Music Video)

Do not forget to be happy!

 

You start dying slowly ;

if you do not travel,

if you do not read,

If you do not listen to the sounds of life,

If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly :

When you kill your self-esteem,

When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly ;

If you become a slave of your habits,

Walking everyday on the same paths…

If you do not change your routine,

If you do not wear different colours

Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly :

If you avoid to feel passion

And their turbulent emotions;

Those which make your eyes glisten

And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly :

If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain

If you do not go after a dream

If you do not allow yourself

At least once in your lifetime

To run away from sensible advice

Don't let yourself die slowly

Do not forget to be happy!

~ Pablo Neruda

Source: Facebook - Stories of Light

"Moon Dancer" by Cherokee flute player Mark Hicks

Masks ~ Shel Silverstein

 

Masks ~ Shel Silverstein

She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through.
Then passed right by–
And never knew.

Don’t Fight the Winter

 

Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. 

Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. 

Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible. Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season in which the world takes on a sparse beauty and even the pavements sparkle. 

It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order. 

Doing those deeply unfashionable things; slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting ...

Katherine May 

Artist Credit: Lisa Aisato

Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

Amazing Quotes

If wrinkles must be written upon our brow, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should not grow old. – James A. Garfield

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Be loyal, love hard. Be a soulmate, be a sister. Be strong, be kind. Listen hard, laugh lots. Tell the truth but keep the secrets. — Donna Ashworth

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I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. - Maya Angelou

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One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful. — Sigmund Freud

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If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed. ― Sylvia Plath

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The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. ― Ernest Hemingway

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You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another. ― Ernest Hemingway

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If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. - Wayne Dyer

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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau

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That it will never come again is what makes life sweet. - Emily Dickinson

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When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return. You should give a good thought to happiness that you can give out. - Eleanor Roosevelt

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Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. - Arthur Miller

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. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

HAEVN - The Sea (Official lyrics)

Amazing Grace 7yr old Rhema Marvanne - Annointed - plz "Share"

I collect...

The Hummingbirds by Robert Foster

 

The Hummingbirds
by Robert Foster

It’s amazing to me that they travel so far
Feisty and noisy and small that they are
Emerald and ruby just buzzing about
A pause and a sip with a curious shout

In spring when they come, so tired and wan
In fall when they leave it’s so quiet at dawn
Longing and left, the silence pervading
I’d smile once again at your raucous invading

I’m left here alone at the break of the day
No tweets of good morning to light up my way
Color and humming recede to the last
Departure your sign, that the summer has past

This time of year as the fall will descend
With a hitch in my throat, just to see you again
Saddened and hoping you’re safe on your flight
I pause with a sigh as I’m left without sight

Who would’ve thought such a small little bird
Would cause such a break when no longer it’s heard
Wishing and praying won’t lengthen your stay
But oh how I wish to have just one more day

Quite time

Spending quiet time alone in Nature has a calming effect on our minds and can soothe and nurture, our often troubled, overburdened and weary souls. It is a healing balm which is so necessary to our peace and well-being. By being fully present in the moment, we give ourselves a much needed breather, from all that is weighing heavy on our minds. Surrendering to what is, rather than how we would like things to be, holds the key and is the doorway to a happier and more peaceful life. Simply let go and let it be.

~ Mary Anne Byrne ~ Spirit of a Hippie - Facebook

~ Art by Nicholas Hely Hutchinson

Facebook Memory 11/16/2024

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe

November, et al

 

November, wrap silk around my doubts.

Add softness to the opinion I have of myself, and refill my cup with patience every time I lose sight of who I am.

Allow me to stop holding hands with fear so I may attract what is meant to find me.

Evict uncertainty so I may welcome peace.

~ Billy Chapata
~ Art by Hayk Shalunts

Source: Facebook - Spirit of a Hippie

Be Grateful

 

Be grateful for the kindly friends that walk along your way,

Be grateful for the skies of blue that smile from day to day,

Be grateful for the health you own, the work you find to do,

For round about you there are those less fortunate than you.

Be grateful for the growing trees, the roses soon to bloom,

The tenderness of kindly hearts that shared your days of gloom,

Be grateful for the morning dew, the grass beneath your feet,

The soft caresses of your babes and all their laughter sweet.

Acquire the grateful habit, learn to see how blessed you are,

How much there is to gladden life, how little life to mar!

And what if rain shall fall to-day and you with grief are sad,

Be grateful that you can recall the joys that you have had.

~ Edgar Albert Guest

~ Art by Dee Nickerson

Source: Facebook - Spirit of a Hippie

...that child still lives within me

Sometimes I long to see through the eyes of my younger self - when magic lived in every corner and wonder painted the ordinary with gold.

When a dandelion was a wish-keeper, not a weed. When puddles were oceans of possibility, not obstacles to avoid. When cardboard boxes became castles, and blanket forts held all the secrets of the universe.

I miss the time when colors didn't need to stay within lines, when grass stains were medals of adventure, not laundry concerns. When every stranger held the potential of friendship, and trust hadn't yet learned to wear armor.

Back then, the moon followed us home like a faithful companion, tree branches whispered ancient stories, and stuffed animals held wisdom deeper than any sage. A hug could heal any wound, and tomorrow was always painted in hope's brightest colors.

In those days, we saw beauty in its purest form - before the world taught us to judge, before time taught us to hurry, before life taught us to fear.

Now, when the world feels too heavy, I close my eyes and remember: that child still lives within me, teaching me to dance in rain puddles and find constellations in spilled sugar. Reminding me that sometimes the greatest wisdom lies in simply believing in magic again.

~ Etheric Echoes
~ Art by Anna Ermolaeva

Source: Facebook - Spirit of a Hippie

HAEVN - The Sea (Official lyrics)

"The Sea"

Sunrays touch the coastline

Warm the cotton, show the dust

The long nights are gone with the river

The water's been waiting long enough

We float on the river of time

Hold steady, hold steady

The sea comes 'cause the summer forced out the cold

The boat fought the change of the tides

Hold steady, hold steady

Storm for hours, and rainy days

And all our lives we're told

The stream will take us home

Sunrays touch the coastline

Warm our feet, show the glare

We walk through the sand in the warm night

The water will take the weight from us

And all our lives we're told

The stream will take us home

And all our lives we're told

The stream will take us home

We sell our lives to the sea

The sky lights up from the beach

Magic

The Magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses ..
Charles de Lint

Artist Credit : S Jade Studio
Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

More quotes:

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.
Eugene O'Neill

Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes... just be an illusion.
Javan

There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.
Norman Vincent Peale

Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.
Nora Roberts

Dog People

The thing is, your dog knows when you’re sad, even when you try to hide it. They sense it in the way you move, in the quiet moments when your energy shifts. You don’t have to say a word; they pick up on it like it’s second nature. And when they know, they don’t ask questions, don’t push you to explain. They just come closer, sit beside you, and offer their presence.

It’s not about fixing anything, they know they can’t.

It’s about letting you know you’re not alone, that in their simple, unwavering way, they’re there for you.

Whether it’s resting their head on your lap or just sitting in the same room, your dog is tuned in to the things you think you’re keeping to yourself.

They know, and they stay, without expecting anything in return. It’s their way of loving you when you don’t have the words.

R.M. Drake from the book Dog People

Artist Credit: Francesca Riley

Source: Facebook - Serendipity Corner

TELL THE TEENAGERS

TELL THE TEENAGERS

Tell the teenagers
That this will not go on forever, that very very soon, their life will begin again and it will begin in glorious technicolour.

Tell the teenagers
That they are not being left behind, that all the other young people are waiting too, this stress is collective.

Tell the teenagers
That night is darkest before dawn, so if they are feeling extra hopeless right now, that’s because it’s coming to an end, soon.

Tell the teenagers
That it’s possible to feel utter despair and misery, then, for no apparent reason, to wake up one day and to suddenly feel joy again, we don’t know why. Don’t believe anything to be permanent, it’s not.

Tell the teenagers
That we may not understand how this is affecting them but we can imagine, and we can worry. We don’t know what to do for the best but we are here.

Tell the teenagers
That one day they will look back on this and realise it made them a far better human somehow. They will seize the moment, face the fears and take every opportunity with open arms. And when tough times come, they will remember they survived.

Tell the teenagers
To find a little purpose every day and hang onto it, like a life raft. Anything, no matter how small, can keep you afloat.

Tell the teenagers
That what they are enduring right now is not fair, it’s not easy and it is hard. But great things are coming, if they can just hang on and wait…

Wait…

Just a little longer.

Donna Ashworth

https://donnaashworth.com/tell-the-teenagers/

Show and Tell

 

A Part of Me Died

 

"A Part of Me Died"

It didn’t kill me, but something changed,

A piece of me lost, forever estranged.

I walked away, yet not the same,

A shadowed soul, a quiet flame.

That day took part of who I was,

Left me searching, without cause.

I carry on, but feel the void,

A heart once whole, now destroyed.

It didn’t end me, but I’m not whole—

An echo remains, deep in my soul.

I’m here, I breathe, but truth denied—

A part of me, that day, quietly died.

Source: Facebook - Love Our Angels