A mom will always love you more—

 

A mom will always love you more—

than your partner,

than your closest friends,

than you love her,

than anyone.

Because those people, yes, they do love you a lot,

maybe even “so much,”

but a mother’s love is incomparable.

Because it’s a different kind of love.

It’s a love that prioritizes your well-being above her own,

a love that's loud and so strong that, at times, she aches,

a love that changes with your needs, but it’s always there.

It’s a love that protects and supports.

Because she fell in love with you when you were just a thought

before she even met you,

before, you were a small baby who fit on her chest.

And that kind of love that loves unconditionally is powerful.

Because no one else in this entire world will love you like that.

So, you can’t love more than a mom,

and you won’t understand until you become one.

Source: Facebook - Living FULL, by Danielle Sherman-Lazar
Unknown Artist

The Red Clay Strays - Will The Lord Remember Me (Live At The Ryman)

“In the last Quarter of Life”

 

“In the last Quarter of Life”

A lot of us are in the last quarter of life and I share without politics, religion, race cards. Just gentle thoughts:

You know, time has a way of catching you off-guard about how quickly it travels.

It feels like just yesterday that I was young and ready to start adult-life. And in a way it feels like eons ago, and I wonder where the years have gone.

I know I lived them all.

I remember all my hopes and dreams. I remember the plans I made.

And suddenly, here I am in the last quarter.

How did I get here so fast?

Where have the years gone and where did my youth go?

I can recall looking at older people, thinking how long it will take for me to get where they are. That I am still in my youth, that I have many years ahead. At that time I could not even think of being where I am now.

And yet, here I am.

My friends are retired, they all have grey hair, they move much slower than they did and when I look at them, I see older people. Some are in a better and some a worse condition than me. But I see the big difference. They are no longer the youthful, carefree, full-of-life friends.

Just like me, age shows. And we are now the older people we used to look at and thought it was still a long way off.

I find that these days, taking a shower takes its toll on my breath and energy levels. And an afternoon nap is not just a treat, it’s become a necessity. And if I don’t, I find myself sleeping in the same chair I started reading or watching television in.

Now I have entered this new season of my life, totally unprepapred for the discomfort, aches and pains, loss of energy and strength and ability to do what I could, yet sometimes didn’t. At least I know that, even though I am in the last quarter and I have no idea how long this quarter will be, when my time on earth is over, a new adventure awaits too.

Yes, I do have things I wish I I had never done. Yet so thankful for those I did. It is all in a lifetime.

And if you are not in the last quarter yet, I want to remind you that it comes faster than you could anticipate. Do the things you still want to do as soon as possible. Do not procrastinate. Life runs on fast legs.

Do today what you can.

There is no promise that we will all see the seasons of life. Live for today. For now.

Say the words to the ones you love. Often.

Hopefully some will appreciate the things you did for them. And if they don’t, it is also okay.

Life is truly a gift. Just be happy. It is afterall your choice.

And remember that health is a treasure, not wealth, gold and silver, property or your bank balance.

You may think that going out is the best, but believe me – coming home is better.

You may forget names and that is okay, because some have already forgotten that they knew you.

The things you cared about previously, you may lose interest in.

If you fall asleep in your favourite chair, stay there.

Growing older is wonderful. It is comfortable. It is loaded with memories that you never grow tired of. It is an absolute treasure.

Look after yourself.

Source: Facebook - Something Interest

Life-changing experience at 90

 

“Last year, I had a life-changing experience at 90 years old. I went to space, after decades of playing an iconic science-fiction character who was exploring the universe. I thought I would experience a deep connection with the immensity around us, a deep call for endless exploration.

"I was absolutely wrong. The strongest feeling, that dominated everything else by far, was the deepest grief that I had ever experienced.

"I understood, in the clearest possible way, that we were living on a tiny oasis of life, surrounded by an immensity of death. I didn’t see infinite possibilities of worlds to explore, of adventures to have, or living creatures to connect with. I saw the deepest darkness I could have ever imagined, contrasting so starkly with the welcoming warmth of our nurturing home planet.

"This was an immensely powerful awakening for me. It filled me with sadness. I realized that we had spent decades, if not centuries, being obsessed with looking away, with looking outside. I did my share in popularizing the idea that space was the final frontier. But I had to get to space to understand that Earth is and will stay our only home. And that we have been ravaging it, relentlessly, making it uninhabitable."

-- William Shatner, actor

I Don’t Want to Be a Burden in My Old Age

I Don’t Want to Be a Burden in My Old Age

I am not afraid of growing old. Let the wrinkles come—I will wear them like medals, proof that I have laughed, cried, and lived deeply. Let my skin loosen and fold like pages in a well-loved book. Let my hair silver and shine, a crown earned by years of stories.

I do not fear the quiet. Solitude is no stranger; I have learned to make peace with my own company. I have sat in stillness and found strength there. I know how to rest in the silence without being swallowed by it.

But what unsettles me is something else—fate. That unpredictable force that sometimes tucks you in at night like a loving hand and other times leaves you standing in the rain, forgotten and cold.

I do not want to become a burden—a sigh of exhaustion behind closed doors. I do not want my presence to feel heavy in the room or my name to be whispered in tones of weariness. I do not want my dependence to become someone else’s silent sacrifice.

I want to be like the wind—restless, moving, always dancing forward. I want my old age to be a poem of resilience, a morning brewed with memories, a sunset painted with hope. I want to keep learning, keep loving, keep discovering—never stagnant, never finished.

I do not fear aging. I fear being boxed in by a life I didn’t choose—a life that shrinks instead of expands.

So I will keep walking forward, not clinging to what was, but embracing what still can be. And if the day comes when my steps falter and I lean on others more than I would like, I will offer my gratitude freely, never forgetting that love is not a burden—it’s a gift.

To those who carry others with patience and tenderness—you are the quiet heroes of this world. Thank you.

ctta

credit to the artist via Pinterest

Source: Facebook - My Endless Love

Grandmother Moon

Last Scene of Lucky (2017)

You matter more than you realize

 

You may not always see it, but your presence in this world has left ripples far beyond what you know.

Someone still smiles at a memory you created together, still feels comforted by the kindness you once showed, and still finds courage in the words you spoke.

Someone hums a song that reminds them of you, sees beauty in the world because you pointed it out, and carries your wisdom in their heart.

Someone stands a little taller because you believed in them, walks a little lighter because you were there, and dreams bigger because you told them they could.

You matter more than you realize ..

( Writer’s Blossoms )

Art : Irene Marino

Source: Facebook - Circle of Women

In The Garden

NO ‘GREEN THING’ BACK THEN

 

NO ‘GREEN THING’ BACK THEN

Yesterday after shopping in our local supermarket, I was in the queue at the Check Out, and heard when the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment.

The woman apologised to the young girl & then sighed, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. You folk didn't do enough to save our environment for future generations."

The older lady said, "Ahh yes you're right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day."

She sighed then continued: “Back then, we returned milk bottles, lemonade bottles & beer bottles to the shops. The shops then sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized & refilled, so those same bottles were used over & over, thus REALLY were recycled. But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

“Grocery stores put our groceries into brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) were not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalise our books on their brown paper bag/covers. But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.

“I remember how we walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store or office building; walked to the grocery store & didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go 200 yards. . . But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.

“Back then we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 240 volts. Wind & solar power really did dry our clothes back in our days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. . . . But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

“Back then we had one radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And if anyone did own a TV, it had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of a football pitch. When cooking we blended & stirred by hand coz we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send by post, we used layers of old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity., , , , But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

“We drank from a tap or fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, & we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

“Back then, people took the bus & kids rode bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's expensive car or van, which cost what a whole house did before the "green thing"..

“Oh, and we had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest leisure park.

“. . . . But it so sad this current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then? . . . I think you should forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from some smart ass young person. .. ...

We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smart ass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Credit to the rightful owner~

Source: Facebook -The Secret of Soul

ai art by me

Voice of Nature

we can celebrate

Just because someone lays something down doesn’t mean we have to pick it up. Responding to something mean with more meanness will only lead to conflict escalation, not resolution.

I know this isn’t easy stuff. Especially in the midst of feeling hurt. But feeling hurt doesn’t mean I have to add to the chaos by returning more hurt.

We don’t have to fall into the trap of saying ugly things back. We don’t have to betray who we are in a moment of feeling offended.

And because we don’t have to live with reaction regret, we can celebrate.

Source: Facebook - Lysa TerKeurst

ai art by me

Let it hurt, then let it go

 

Have you ever been through a time in your life when you felt hurt so badly that you thought the world was ending? 

After that, your feelings have changed. You were hurt beyond belief, and you no longer wanted to smile because life seemed so bleak. You no longer wanted to go outside. All you wanted to do was stay inside and lie in bed. You felt tears dripping down your face. And you didn’t know what to do next. 

Do I just keep my feelings to myself? you wonder. Or should I tell someone about them? 

In life, we all hit rock bottom. 

We don’t see it coming, but eventually, something happens that makes us hurt and want to hide in the corner. 

We feel that the events have accumulated like a snowball; one bad situation just started to create another. And we simply found that too overwhelming. We feel that we put so much effort towards something that didn’t matter in the end. 

These feelings are valid because we always want to see progress. 

We set high expectations and goals for ourselves, hoping they come true. But when something carries our progress astray, we don’t know how to recover from it. 

So, we feel devastated about the work we put into the progress. After all, regardless of how hard we worked, nothing ended up working out for us. 

But there’s a saying that when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. 

This means that if you reach the lowest point in your life, there is no way that something worse can happen. Only better things will happen from that point on. 

If you know what has dragged you down previously, you can now focus on eliminating those habits or behaviors. You can shift your goals towards personal growth by becoming someone better than you were the day before. 

Instead of looking down, you now have the chance to look up. 

Hitting rock bottom can tell you that your old ways don’t work. You can start trying something new and focus on developing that specific skill. Maybe something else suits you better, and you didn’t realize it until now. 

So when challenging moments do happen, let them hurt at first. 

Reminisce about the good times and let out your emotions. Cry for however long you want, and vent about anything that bothers you. But whatever you do, don’t keep your emotions bottled up. 

And once you finish crying, let it all go. 

You’re no longer the same person, and you’re being led on a new path by the universe. 

It may feel scary at first, but once you start the process, you’ll never look back. You’ll just keep focusing on the new path and forget about the old one. The new you will never be the old you. 

Let it go because you’ll always travel into the unknown.

Photo Source: Facebook - She's of Love (posted by Jeannette Acevedo Santiago)

Text Source: https://www.myjoyonline.com/why-you-need-to-let-it-hurt-and-then-let-it-go/

Worth While

Worth While

It is easy enough to be pleasant
    When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is the one who will smile
    When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
    And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
    Is the smile that shines through tears.

It is easy enough to be prudent
    When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
    Is luring your soul away;
But it's only a negative virtue
    Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honour on earth
    Is the one that resists desire.

By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
    Who had no strength for the strife,
The world's highway is cumbered to-day -
    They make up the sum of life;
But the virtue that conquers passion,
    And the sorrow that hides in a smile -
It is these that are worth the homage on earth,
    For we find them but once in a while.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

ai Art by me

Dance of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiqlZZddZEo

Open The Eyes of My Heart x Jordan G. Welch

"Later"

 

"Later"

- Talk to you later.

- I'll call you later.

- See you later.

- We'll walk later.

"I'll tell you later."

We leave everything for later, but forget that "later" does not belong to us.

Later, our loved ones are no longer with us.

Later, we don't hear them and we don't see them.

Later, they are just memories.

Later, the day becomes night, the force becomes helpless,

the smile becomes a grimace, and life becomes death.

"Later" becomes "too late."

Source: Facebook - Learning Petals

ai art created by me

from Wild Child by Jeanne Willis

from Wild Child by Jeanne Willis
Source: Facebook - Poet's Corner / Esquina Poetica

Things I appreciate more and more the older I get:

 

Things I appreciate more and more the older I get:

- Undramatic people

- Bedtime at 10 pm

- People who are honest

- Naps

- Having a clean kitchen counter

- Simple get-togethers

- Energy, my own

- My dogs

- People who are kind

- People who feel safe & easy to be around

- Music especially soft piano

- My plants

- My deck

- Good ideas

- Time with family

- Not having to drive at night

- Meaningful conversations

- Laundry being done

- Having people I can depend on

- Occasional TV

- Laughing with good people

- Pleasant weather

- The ability to just say “no”

- Having a hobby that is solely about enjoyment

- Someone else making dinner

- People who are genuinely nice

- Not going places

- Coupons

- A full night’s sleep

- The peace I find sitting in my car alone

- Weekends with nothing to do

- Yoga

- My laptop

- My family

I found a list posted on Facebook on Sister, I am with you. page. I changed it a bit to become a list I might have.

She is not just a gentle breeze...

 "She is a beautiful paradox, gentle as moonlight, fierce as a tempest. In her love, you'll find both the storm and the shelter, transforming everything she touches."

-Steve De'lano Garcia

"She is not just a gentle breeze, but a force of nature that commands respect. When she loves, it's with the intensity of a thousand storms and the tenderness of summer rain. Her soul burns with a fire that could set worlds ablaze, yet she chooses to warm your heart instead. Look into her eyes and you'll see galaxies spinning, dreams taking flight, and stories untold. She carries oceans of depth beneath her smile, and hurricanes dance in her laugh. When she touches your soul, you'll understand why the moths chase flames, why sailors follow stars, why poets write about love until their pens run dry.

Fear her, yes - not because she brings darkness, but because she holds so much light it could blind you. Fear her because she has the power to remake your world, to show you colors you've never seen, to make you believe in magic again. Fear her because once you've tasted her kind of love, nothing else will ever compare. She is thunder wrapped in silk, lightning veiled in laughter, a storm wearing grace like a second skin. Don't mistake her softness for weakness - it is the same softness that allows flowers to break through concrete, that lets water carve through mountains, that makes starlight pierce through endless darkness.

Love her completely or not at all, for she knows no other way to exist. She will challenge you, transform you, inspire you to reach heights you never thought possible. And in her fierce love, you'll find shelter; in her wild heart, you'll find home. For she is not just a chapter in your story - she is the ink that rewrites your entire book, the melody that changes your life's song, the dawn that breaks your darkness. She is both the hurricane and the harbor, the flame and the sanctuary, the question and the answer you've been seeking all along. So cherish her, not as a delicate flower to be protected, but as a magnificent force to be revered. For in loving her, you don't just find love, you find adventure, purpose, and the courage to become who you were always meant to be.

In her presence, time bends and reality shifts, ordinary moments become extraordinary simply because she exists within them. Her love doesn't just touch your heart; it excavates your soul, plants gardens in your darkest spaces, and teaches you that strength can be found in surrender. When she trusts you with her vulnerability, recognize it as the gift it is, rarer than diamonds, more precious than gold. For a woman who can bring storms knows the true value of peace, and when she chooses to be peaceful with you, that is her most profound expression of love. Remember: she could be anywhere, with anyone, burning bright in another sky, but she chose you. She chose to share her fire with you, to let you witness both her lightning and her rain. She chose to show you how the wild and the gentle can coexist in one soul, how passion and peace can dance in the same heart.

So love her fearlessly, but never carelessly. Love her with the respect due to a natural wonder, with the devotion worthy of a miracle. For that's what she is, a miracle wrapped in skin and starlight, a phenomenon that defies explanation, a love story written in the language of thunderstorms and whispered prayers. In the end, loving her isn't just about embracing the storm or weathering the tempest - it's about understanding that some souls are meant to shake us awake, to remind us that love, in its purest form, should both terrify and transform us. And in her, you'll find both your greatest adventure and your safest haven, your most beautiful chaos and your most perfect peace."

-Steve De'lano Garcia

Source: The Soul Journey with Sarah Moussa

ai artwork by me