LET’S HEAR IT FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AND HAPPINESS!

 

A series of essays….

OUR FIRST SUNRISE IN WALES.
WE HAVE CAPTURED THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDS US 
AND REVEL IN ITS WONDER!

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Healthy challenges can inspire us to grow. 

I like this sentence. I find it appealing because it takes me in so many exciting directions: past, present, and future.

First of all, I believe we never stop growing in one way or another each day of our lives, no matter our age.

Before I go any further, I would just like to mention why I believe the eclipse this week was deemed extra exciting by so many of us. I mean, besides the fact that a solar eclipse is scientifically pretty phenomenal all on its own! We all required something this exciting to focus on, take our thoughts away from the Big Lies and, ultimately, how much time drumpf must spend behind bars to compensate for them…

Here’s where I give some examples of healthy challenges. Being physically challenged reaps its own benefits and rewards. Keeping the body in motion, we all know, contributes towards proper weight balance, muscle strength, circulation, and so much more. 

Let’s say that this physical challenge is combined with others as in a team sport which may couple physical dexterity with the sharp mental awareness needed to make quick decisions (individually) and blend these decisions with everyone else in the group. The objective is not necessarily to win, but rather to work well within a group of others whether it be sports related, office or work relationships, or being human and relating to the rest of our fellow human beings on a daily basis. 

This latter example, comprised of love, kindness, and understanding, can be linked to our own spirituality. How do we perceive the world to function after incorporating these specific acts into our daily routines? Will we become better people because we have? Yes, of course, we would no longer place ourselves first, rather our goal, if we choose to accept this spiritual lifestyle, is to accept everyone as equals, allowing us to grow exponentially (utilizing our untapped potential) by helping to make the world a better, happier place to live.

Doing something nice for someone doesn't require spending money on them. You can cook someone a meal, let them borrow a favorite book, help them out with something, or do anything else that makes them feel good!

Food. Our eating habits. Forfeiting an unhealthy diet for one that, potentially, makes you grow stronger by providing the body with what it needs rather than pacifying the mind with what society has taught us to crave as addicts of sugar, salt, and white flour. 

Trust me, I have challenged myself for a lifetime to disengage from bad eating habits by incorporating healthy foods into my diet. I blamed the first third of my poor eating lifestyle and habits on my parents. The second third of my life was all on me. Now that I’m in the final third — my aim is to stretch this life out as healthy and meaningfully as possible.

I have always been a yo-yo dieter as I’d work hard to drop the weight, succeed to a certain degree, only to have something, major or minor, trigger the inevitable lapse in mental stamina that was guaranteed to follow.

Now that I am older and getting the hang of minimizing my intake of cane sugar, salt (never truly liked too much salt in the first place), and craving a slice or two of crusty artisan bread slathered in good butter, I feel I can control my weight and combine a better diet plan with more movement and approve of the results.

Inspiration comes in many different forms. Even Monday’s eclipse had a pronounced lesson for us in that there will always be something much larger than ourselves and our solar system certainly proved its point this week! Something small can appear big enough to block something larger. There is power in distance and perspective. Things—just like experiences—are not always as big as they seem. We must give ourselves time. Take a step back. Look not at the shadow, but at the light.

Routines. Enjoying a daily routine can ground us in a way that nothing else can. It keeps us on a personal track that contributes to stability and staying focussed; living each day to the fullest. Each day brings an opportunity for us to experience amazing things, even challenge those things that might trouble and overwhelm us on a day-to-day basis.

Practice mindfulness when doing daily tasks and embrace being in the present moment. Practice gratitude and remind yourself of the amazing things you have to be thankful for. Take time to disconnect from social media and intentionally connect with yourself, friends, family, or your community. Make small steps or a plan to reach a goal — whether it's to cook at home more, journal each day, or publish that novel you’ve been working on for years.

Healthy challenges can inspire us to grow as individuals whether we achieve results on our own or become a part of a larger group. 

Happiness, personal joy and growth, respect for others, can be found in so many areas — from exploring our immediate priorities to helping others. May your own healthy challenges inspire you to grow each and every day.

Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

HARMONY

 A series of essays....

~ A MALE AND FEMALE CARDINAL ~
HARMONY IN NATURE

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Harmony is the balance we all require to make life, with all of its intriguing parts, sing with notes of joy and togetherness. It is a reverberation requiring years of practice and skill that bounces the animated tones of the sweetest bird songs from tree to tree in the fresh, morning breeze. We slow our heartbeats down in order to listen to their early calls while they pluck an early worm to take back to their little ones for breakfast, mouths wide open in the comfort of their cozy nest. Harmony is found in the music of nature; a natural counterbalance to conflict and discord. Listen. Listen. Listen for the high-pitch note of the cicadas on a hot summer afternoon, the chirp of the nocturnal cricket, their mating call, used to navigate the nighttime dating scene, and the cacophony of tree frog barks as they emerge at dusk to feed on crickets and earthworms after hiding from the heat of the day. 

THE CLOSED COSMOGONY OF UTOPIA
THOMAS MORE'S WILDLY INFLUENTIAL BOOK THAT
WAS PUBLISHED 500 YEARS AGO

Courtesy of Frieze.com

The musical balance we find within the harmonious structure of nature contributes to an orderly and pleasing combination of elements in a whole; the order and harmony of the universe. Nature’s color palette is studied and adapted by great artists while designers breathe life into man-made surroundings by using nature’s harmonious plans of color, arrangement, and textures. What is pleasing to the eye can, in turn, be pleasing to the heart and soul. In matters of the heart, our own relationships characterized by lack of conflict or strife is a harmonious balance worth striving for, but often too complicated to wholly achieve. Given the possibility in which various components could exist together without destroying one another, and a sense of well-being could be reached by the harmonious coexistence between all of mankind, humans would be living in a utopian ideology, brilliantly captured within the imaginations of authors such as Sir Thomas More, Utopia and Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World. 

A ZEN MOMENT BY
ARTIST AND SCULPTOR: NADINE FOURRE
FROM: EYGALIERES, PROVENCE-ALPILLES, FRANCE

Harmony is the flow of life, a feeling of happiness, acceptance, completeness, and peace, with peace being the highest form of happiness. If we are in harmony with ourselves, we will easily be able to welcome it into our lives while accepting its gifts of balance of mind, body, and soul... Those who sing in harmony are in tune with one another. Like nature’s own song, music can be the natural stabilizer between discord and a true sense of peace. Music consists of three main elements: melody, rhythm, and harmony. It is the third element, harmony, that can elevate a piece from common and predictable to challenging and sophisticated. The harmony of a cappella vocals rises to the occasion in clear and natural tones and, just like the bird songs, amaze and delight our senses with their creative blends of pitches and sounds that mimic everything from musical instruments to nature itself. For purposes of euphony, the pleasant sounds of a favorite poem can evoke a melody that moves our bodies and, as we sway to the rhythm of its tone and arrangement, our mood is elevated to a state of happiness and well-being.

Harmony reaches out to all of us in many ways, touching our life with its dignity and encouraging us to discover personal peace and long-lasting happiness within our very souls, spreading this joy among nature, poetry, music, and all of the lives we touch in one lifetime. If and when we, finally, recognize the importance of harmony, we will know what it’s like to live in an atmosphere of social comity and respect; a lesson those in Washington D.C. must aspire to in the weeks, months, and years to follow...

"Utopia is intentionally flawed. it is an irritant that makes a pearl. It makes you think."    ....Carol Mavor

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

HAPPINESS.....

A series of essays.....

                          MY FIVE REASONS FOR SEEKING HAPPINESS!                             
 LET'S PROTECT OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN VIA DRASTIC 
GUN LAW CHANGES IN THIS COUNTY!!!

.....as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


HAPPINESS...,

...is a relative term, co-dependent upon our own current state of mind and/or circumstances. It can be an illusion or state of being that some of us only dream about. It can be the most amazing feeling ever experienced. Happiness can be faked, stepped on, crinkled into a ball and thrown away. It can, also, be fed, encouraged, and built upon until such joy fills our entire being that we might suddenly fear losing even a drop of it and carry our happiness cautiously as we would a glass filled to the brim in which the slightest movement could cause it to spill over......onto others? To know true happiness would be to share our own happiness with as many people as possible and assist in turning negative circumstances into positive ones.

Happiness is the feeling of a deep seated, comfortable ride through the green valleys and along the craggy mountaintops that comprise our everyday lives. While our trusty steed navigates the wild terrain, we may experience rain showers and snow storms one day, only to be perked-up by the warmth of the sun on our faces the next. Our ‘state of happiness’ is not determined by the chilling weather patterns of the tundra or the warmth of a sunny climate. We could feel happy in both environments. Rather, it is a feeling that has saturated our inner being since birth and only diminishes if or when we allow it to.

We are born with happiness overflowing from every pore of our being with our innocence and inquisitiveness sparkling from within like a bright, shining star. As we age, our personal interaction with others, may it be good, bad, or indifferent, sets the pace for retaining or losing measured quantities of inborn happiness as time reveals a truthful account about the world we live in. Good experiences, wholesome relationships, and positive attitudes help to elevate us in ways that excite the senses and motivate the positive emotions that contribute to future happiness. Negative experiences can cause us to feel displeasure and discontentment and will, eventually, diminish the happiness we were originally born with. 

Heading into this world as toddlers and young adults with the understanding that life itself is a challenge can provide a modicum of strength and encouragement along our path to survival and, ultimately, perceived happiness. With the passing of time, understanding happiness can be likened to the anticipation of a great adventure; traveling to a place we have always wanted to experience but, up to this point, only read about. With anticipation comes the expectation of hope and the desire that this particular event becomes a possibility considering we save our money and make the time for it. Instinctively, we float in a state of suspense that carries us along on the whims of our research and planning until the crescendo increases in intensity and our very being tingles with throbbing vibrations as though we were listening to a fiery Irish jig with good friends on a Saturday night....pints raised to the heavens above! Happiness!

We own our own personal answers when it comes to coping with the depths of our private being. But depth, the core of our being, is something we cultivate over time. The renowned Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, once wrote, “The more clearly you understand yourself and your emotions, the more you become a lover of what is.” Our mask of upside-down frowns and narrowed eyes only scratches the surface of what and who we truly are. If we wish to dig deep inside and project accurate images of gut feelings, failed dreams, lost promises to ourselves throughout the years, we may find the projection of these images upon our ‘face-screens’ to be  clever truths depicting worn paths down the long road of ‘trial and error.’ Maybe it is merely a mask we wear for others to see and be comforted by in times of earthly tribulations in the hope that they will return the favor by allowing us to luxuriate for a moment in artificial solace as they share their mask with us? Even if the intentions are good, by shedding false masks and doing whatever it takes to understand what truly makes us happy is worth all of the effort we put into it. 

It is our duty to ourselves as an active member of the human race to dig deep down inside, to the depth of our very soul and understanding, and become a lover of what is....for the sake of happiness.

Author’s Note: This piece was written hours before the latest mass killing here in Florida. Happiness, for myself, would be to be able to protect our youth from suffering through having to fear for their lives by simply attending school. We, as adults, know how to correct this scenario. It’s been done successfully in many other countries. It had been done with great success in our own, at one time. Will we allow greed, money, and power to diminish the happiness of our youth forcing them to grow up too fast?  Or, will we work together to pass laws to stop this senseless murder...now?

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved 

BALANCE

A series of journeys.....

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes




BALANCE

is a means of maintaining a state of equilibrium within our life. We balance the pros and cons before making our final choices in everything we do. By asking ourselves the right questions, the final answers may determine many incredible life changing decisions. We consider, compare and assess until what is right for us peaks from around the heavy velvet curtains that have been blocking our view of reality and we are reasonably able to come out on to the open stage and perform in front of the world....for better or worse.

To have achieved true balance in your life is to have attained the proper definition of freedom......unrestricted and able to move, think, speak, imagine and believe without constant fear of rejection or malice. With this achievement comes responsibility. We become guides or role models, if you will, for others to look upon with hope mixed with a measure of envy....in a way....for to have reached such enormous heights, become stable in one's mind about personal feelings and obtain pure peace in our hearts, is indeed enviable. We now become the teachers and it is our responsibility and duty to guide others along the paths that will, hopefully, lead them to a destination of true balance in their own lives, if their desire for it is genuine and honest.

As in design, a harmonious arrangement or proportion of elements within it serves to please and heighten the senses, may it be in nature, art, decor, architecture, landscape.....we see a purpose to flatter and exhibit shapes and forms, collections and colors in such a way as to achieve a balance of nature in a world filled with, otherwise, human imbalance. A world often overshadowed by bias, lopsidedness, unfairness and inequality....human elements that only serve to corrupt the beautiful, natural design generously offered to each of us as we enter and re-enter this world. To eventually alter this gift of balance or to keep it intact is a decision we humans end up having to make....an exercise in free will. Wrong or right, through thick and thin, with contempt or respectfulness for others, these are for us to choose between no matter how fierce or practical outside influences can be.

If love be a counterpoise to hate, shall we reason that both emotions are needed to strike a balance? To be able to absorb one emotion, it is necessary to experience, breathe-in and feel the opposite one and embrace each with every fiber of our being allowing time itself to become champion of the cause. Look into the symmetrical energy of the face in front of you, your child, your partner, your friend and even your  enemy. See first hand the beauty and harmony combined to form a proportionate arrangement that is pleasing to the eye and the senses. Encounter the unique power we have to discern by way of our own values and emotions the measure of our hearts and strike that balance needed to push us forward; make us stronger, more understanding and, ultimately, whole.

Listen to the rhythm of your beating heart. Drink in the beauty that surrounds you with open eyes and challenge yourself each day to extract pure joy from a mundane, earthly existence.....absolute love from a life of spiritual well-being. Combine them, stir them together to create a potent elixir and drink deeply from this cup for its contents is certain to provide you with an abundance of happiness; a life crafted and creatively balanced by personal experience and conviction.





Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SCULPTURE: Caracole ~ 2014
ARTIST: Nadine Fourré
PHOTO © Jacqueline E. Hughes

BY THE SEA, BY THE SEA......

A series of short stories.....

Beach At Cape Canaveral At Dusk

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



.......By the beautiful sea!  This has been my life for the past week or so; Label me a total beach-bum!!  And, I am loving every sandy/sunny minute of it.

I live in Paradise here in Florida, let's face it, and I have few things to complain about.  The past seventeen years, give or take a few months, in Orlando, have provided an entirely new perspective of my life, one that I'll never take for granted.  Just the mere thought of slipping on a pair of capris or flip-flops 365 days out of the year is a gift!  Having the butter yellow sun shine down to help brighten the day and cheer-up your life with its warmth and glow for an average of 236 days each year.....hello!?  As my husband has reiterated more times than I have had the patience  to calculate, "This sure beats shoveling snow!" 

Beach Wind Surfing

My point is this.....Just when you think it doesn't get any better or, when the short thirty-minute drive to be able to walk the Atlantic shoreline and kick-up the beach sand in pure joy and contentment is never underestimated.....something comes along, if you're lucky, and one-ups an already 'good thing.' 

Three years ago a friend of ours introduced us to his rental condo on the beach at Cape Canaveral, a short drive from Orlando.  Cliff told us to relax and enjoy ourselves.  Since it was off-time between his regular renters, we were handed the keys and, with the gods cooperating weather-wise, life has been good to us and we never undervalue this 'special' time together at "Cliff's Condo!"




Brenna.....Our Ukulele Baby

The first year we stayed, our daughter and son-in-law graciously agreed to let us bring Brenna, our three-year-old granddaughter at the time, with us.  The memories created here with her are ample and guaranteed to appease the crustiest of hearts!  With Brenna around, that's pretty much a gimme anyway. 

A trip to Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach provided her with an Hawaiian print dress (complete with matching lei) and her very first ukulele.  I told her about a song I recalled from my childhood entitled Ukulele Baby and downloaded it to my cell phone via iTunes.  I remember her entertaining the luncheon crowd at the Mom & Pop restaurant we stopped at and afterwards, Brenna selected a homemade cupcake to bring back home for her Mommy.

The three of us took long walks on the beach and scoured the sea for signs of dolphin, whales and exotic, scaly sea creatures.  And, if we couldn't spot anything unusual while standing 'Popeyesque'-like with flattened hand above our brow, eyes skimming the undulating horizon.....we would just keep looking harder and harder the next time!

Life is good! 

While swimming in the pool last year, several condo owners who live here full-time were discussing the extreme peacock population, not only within the resort, but throughout Cape Canaveral.  (I felt like I was hanging over a fence listening to the scuttlebutt about the mating habits of this exotic bird.)  Having noticed the inordinate amount of peacocks we were sharing space with here, I drifted even closer and tread water just a few yards away.  "Not long ago, several peacocks were found protecting their unhatched eggs and many residents thought it was adorable to see," said the lady wearing the black-skirted bathing suit.  "Without thinking about the future, the neighbors unanimously decided not to tell anyone or disturb the nest," added the lady in the brown-skirted suit.  Now, the blue-skirted lady added the most poignant information to my eavesdropping conversation by stating the obvious, "We all allowed it to go too far and now they are everywhere, a huge nuisance and protected by the law!!"

One of the Local Residents

I am well aware of their awesome beauty, however, the squeals, squawks and screams emitted by the peacock (24 hours a day) are enough to haunt you for the rest of your life!  We've compared their sounds to cats fighting, a child desperately screaming for help and a B-Movie, Prehistoric Bird swooping down on its unsuspecting prey.  Let's just say, I appreciate the vibrant iridescent plumage of the male's covert feathers......however, please don't find your way to the Orlando area anytime soon!  We'll visit you once a year.  Thank you so much.

With A Dove On Top

I was sipping a cup of tea out on the small back porch late one morning and heard what sounded to me like someone playing the saxophone.  I recognized the tune immediately......and then it stopped!  What?  It didn't take long to realize my 'saxophone player' was actually one of the Disney Cruise ships announcing its departure from port by playing "When You Wish Upon A Star" utilizing its horn signal.

Two years ago Eliane Closset entered my life while she was doing a photo shoot beachside and I was reading in the sun.  She asked if I would keep an eye on her sandals as she barefooted it to the surf for some close-up shots.  When she returned, given her accent, I asked where in France she was from.  "Non.  I live in Belgium," she replied.  The next hour or so we compared cameras, families, countries (France  vs. Belgium) and the benefits of living in Belgium over France.  We exchanged e-mail addresses, phone numbers and continue to communicate to this day.  I am seeing her later this week!

Yes, life is good!

Dan and I walked the beach last Sunday and headed for the fishing jetty that overlooks the cruise ship channel, as well as the launching areas of our many space shuttles that began their missions right here for so many years.  It remains a most amazing sight.  Sporting my Bay Hill visor to protect my face from the sun (something Floridians deem exceptionally important), I soon realized that taking my hand off my visor in the strong cross-breezes should not have been an option.  As if caught in a mini-vortex, my visor swirled up several feet only to plunge sharply down into the water between jetty and stone wall.  I succinctly bid adieu to my favorite visor as it merrily bobbed around in the salty surf.....

The Jetty

A gentle voice interrupted my sad thoughts as I heard someone say, "Would you like me to snag that for you?"  "Really.....you would do that?" I asked.  A young man to our right cast out and snagged the 'dancing visor' on his second try.  Thanking him profusely as Dan disconnected two small hooks from my hat, the young man admitted that after several hours, my visor was the first substantial thing he'd caught all morning!  I hope things looked-up for him as the day progressed!

There's something about being at the beach that brings out the "Happy" in all of us!  We relax in a way that only fresh sea breezes and warm sand between our toes can make us feel and, it's an experience  that reverberates joy and contentment throughout our bodies and souls and awakes all of the 'positives' within us.  For these reasons, plus so many more.....I, simply, love the beach!




Blue Skies

After working on my writing quite early yesterday morning, I packed a small, canvas bag with water, camera, the current book I'm reading (Citadel by Kate Mosse), sun lotion and a small blanket.  Slinging it over my shoulder, I was beach bound at last.  The sky was cloudless and so alarmingly blue that when it kissed the horizon and blended with the sea you could almost imagine a heavenly vapor form in the distance.  Yes, it was that kind of morning....magical!

The walk back to the condo is brief (five minutes...tops) and guests must unlock a gateway to enter the complex from the beach.  Upon opening the gate I noticed someone coming up the beach ramp behind me so, I waited for the gentleman to pass through before he shut the gate behind both of us.  As we proceeded to walk past the swimming pool together, I heard him politely inquire, "Have you had enough of the beach?"  My mind registered his question and I knew he was just being polite given our close proximity.  But, when I turned to face him in order to properly supply an answer, the only appropriate reply seemed to be in the form of a question, a practice I personally try to avoid.  Looking directly at him I asked, "Is that even a possibility?"  When he smiled back, he slowly moved his head side to side and said, "Never in a million years!"

Do you have a favorite beach that soothes your soul, recharges your energy and makes you.....happy?

.....You and me, you and me...Oh how happy we'll be!!

















Copyright © 2014 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SPRING IS IN THE AIR.....AT LAST

A series of short stories.....




My Favorite Garden Bench

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Natural beauty, man-made beauty or, a combination of the two......we welcome you into our hearts!!  And, let me say, we are more than ready to include Spring and all her glory right there at the top of the list of welcomed sights and sounds!

It's been exceedingly difficult for most of us to comprehend the longevity and severity of the Winter of 2013-14.  The toll that the consistent freezing temps and seemingly endless snowfall and accumulation thereof, calculated in terms of feet as opposed to inches, has made on the human psyche is  tremendous.  This leads many of us wondering about the future consequences of Global Warming and exactly what mankind should expect to face as we enter into the unique uncertainties that will definitely challenge us, as well as impede the prospects of a normal daily life as we have grown to expect it.

I happen to love this magnificent home we affectionately call Earth very much.  So much so that my days are generally spent thinking and writing about the many amazing places I have already travelled to coupled by the constant 'dream state' I float about in while planning my next adventure with passport, camera and keyboard in hand!  I do not take my responsibilities lightly.  As a parent and a grandparent, I'm fully aware of the fact that the subsequent generations we've created deserve every advantage of a healthy and prosperous future here on earth....

My mission this morning was to fill my world with innate happiness, pure bliss and La Joie de La Vie!!! 

Love Is In The Air

Okay, now that had me thinking about my beloved City of Lights (I think about Paris often throughout the day!) and the most iconic symbol recognized worldwide that represents it.  But, of course, La Tour Eiffel!!  And, it is celebrating its 125th Anniversary this year as it truly does tower over one of the most spectacular cities of the modern age.  Okay, so, I may have a few Eiffel Towers decorating my humble abode....just saying.  And, the older grandchildren might even make a game out of finding and counting them!  However, when architecture and beauty mix to create a structure this unique and symbolic, mankind simply cannot deny its impact on the world.




Having climbed to the top tier of the Eiffel Tower for the first time during our visit in 1990, I vowed then that the next time I enjoy the panoramic view of Paris from this spot, it would be in the company of my grandchildren.  It amazes me how much 'joy' fills my world just thinking about this prospect!

Which city evokes the promise of Springtime, Love and Romantic adventure as symbolically as Paris?  As a child growing up in the '50's, my world was filled with the magical powers of black and white films that conjured up the possibilities of Asian detectives solving crimes (Charlie Chan series), invisible spirits controlling the living (Topper series), humans created from the imagination of a mad scientist and so much lightening (Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein), and a handsome older gentleman singing within the shadow of the Eiffel Tower (Maurice Chevalier).  And, I was hooked!  I have yet to visit Paris in the springtime but, I am a firm believer in making black and white dreams turn into sweeping Technicolor reality....  Just a matter of time.

Mr. Maurice Chevalier

Continuing on with my mission to find 'happiness' this morning, my adventure relocated me to the lanai where I was greeted warmly (pun intended) by the sun in all her glory.  Swapping my mug of coffee for my iPad, I began shooting the serenity of an unoccupied swimming pool, the splendor of an array of colorful plantings growing strong within sturdy ceramic pots and the tranquil elegance of my favorite garden bench, designated for the pure enjoyment of reading many good books, as it's solid form was drenched in a charming mixture of shadows and liquid sunlight. Happiness!! 


This tranquil feeling continued as I searched My Photo Stream for pictures I'd taken previously that had been reminders of Spring for me.  Not surprising at all....most of them were of soft, pastel tulips, roses rich in velvety warm colors and azaleas cloaked in striking robes of neon pink.

Conclusion: Imagining five sparkling little faces lighting up the world with their smiles; feeling the sun's warmth penetrating the icy gray walls of Winter's gloom; restoring our precious planet in shades of healthy renewal with Hope and Love for all generations; finding the beauty and romance of Paris in the springtime and, lastly, understanding the precious gift of life rejuvenating life each Spring as it snuggles a scented blanket of color around each and every one of us. 

It may have taken a bit longer this year to achieve but, Spring is in the air.....at last, and we're not going to let it slip by us again until we absolutely have to!!!

My wish for all of you today is that you enjoy the animated 'silence' and multitude of colors within nature.