One More Cup Of Tea

On a cold and blustery day, such as today, when the Winter Blahs are beating at my door, thoughts of warmth in its many forms can be the perfect answer to that annoying knocking;   As I mature in age and, hopefully, in wisdom, I still find it satisfying to occasionally reach back into my childhood days, bring out that rebellious, often-used retort, and say to time,

"You're not the boss of me!"   I figure I still have one more cup of tea;

One More Cup Of Tea

I may have lost a little steam,

A little of my zing,

But there's still a cup inside of me,

One delicious cup of tea,

That might be just the thing

For someone who has dropped their cup,

Whose pot of hope has all dried up,

Can't make their kettle sing.

I still have hopeful little drops,

Some smiles I've kept to share,

There's laughter waiting to pop up,

To add some bubbles to their cup,

Some warm and pleasant fare;

Some bits of sunshine,

Sips of Spring

That I've infused with care;

For tiny cups of kindness are

The humblest of guests;

They don't intrude on solitude,

They're sensitive and never rude,

They understand that listening

Is the sweetener that is best;

A cup of hope, so sweet and fine's

The best of partners anytime,

Perhaps the perfect Valentine!

Putting A Spring In My 'To Do' List!

The water on the cover of our pool is now ice-free and sparkling in the sunshine- I'm waiting for our yearly visit by the two mallard ducks who think it is some sort of an inviting pond!  I always look forward to them, as I do the neat, feathered little beacons of hope that visit our bird feeder - a compliment to our humble hospitality. 

 It's nice to feel that Spring sunshine pouring into my thoughts and jogging them into positive action.  Everything is starting to come alive again out there, in the great outdoors, and in here, in the 'struggling to be positive' indoors of my mind.  My inner to-do list was starting to grow out of control before Spring was even officially here, and now I am having yet another think about that list:

  Two of our good neighbours have just recently had to leave their homes and accept the reality of a very different life in hospital -  a reminder that changes in our lives can happen quite abruptly, mocking the to-do list still sitting on the tables of our mind.  If those good people had to re-write their lists, I'm sure that yard and housework would be moved down in priority by a huge drop, replaced by taking one more hour to sit outside under the trees and listen to the sounds of life happening around them; one more cup of tea or coffee with family and friends, another chance to choose their own music to listen to, and one more dance with a spouse, child, or grandchild.

I've written this wish list for them:

One more dance,

One more song,

Some happy steps,

On feet, still strong;

One more day,

One more hour

To hear a bird,

To smell a flower;

To find within,

A child's pure heart

To light my path

Before we part,

And please, dear Lord,

A friendly smile,

To take with me

On my last mile.

I Am Grateful -  Right Now!

'Experiencing gratitude is a learnable skill that improves with practise.  It isn't dependant on things going well, or receiving favours from others.  It's getting better at spotting what's already there.'

'Recent research has shown that people experiencing high levels of gratitude tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives. When people were instructed to keep a daily 'gratitude journal', where they were to record each day, things that they felt grateful for, it was found to have a profound and reliable impact on mood.  When we get into the habit of keeping this kind of journal, we train our minds to notice the up side of life more easily and quickly.'

The above excerpts are from an article that was sent to me by my wise and caring Aunt Jane (Sister Jane), who is not without her own crosses to bear.  Judging from the positive vibes that continue to emanate from this beautiful lady, it is certainly a state of mind that she has attained and translated into lifting the spirits of others daily.  Therefore, the advice is well worth heeding , her example well worth following.   

Starting today, I will give more notice to the little wonders around me and

 practise gratefulness.

The little bird

That came today,

Because of a seed

On a little tray,

A tiny gift

For tuppence bought,

Gave back to me

A happy thought.

Does that tiny bird

Know what pleasure

She gave to me

With her greatest treasure;

Her lovely song

Sang out to me

That all I have to be

Is me.

Then to those seeds,

In happy mood,

I added grains

Of gratitude.

Love That Bluegrass!

Love That Bluegrass!

Springtime is seriously knocking on the door, even if today’s cool grey sky is trying to ignore it.  It won’t be much longer, and that got me thinking garden thoughts:  I look back with fondness on many of the planting and weeding days, back on old Padgeberry Farm – not with enough fondness that I would attempt growing the huge quantities of produce and flowers that we tended then. Still, there were some nice bright spots there!  One of them came in the form of tiny sparks of royal blue flowers – Blue eyed grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium (what a long name, for such a short plant!). They held up their hopeful faces, one by one – I liked to think they were smiling at me.  While the weeds in the garden threatened to overwhelm us, my two lovely niece helpers laughed, as I took great delight in talking to, and ‘weeding-in’ the blue grass plants that I discovered there - carefully moving them over, just a tad, out of the way of what I was actually attempting to grow.  Eventually, I had to give up on this well-intentioned exercise, as the sea of blue stretched a little further than manageable – Yes! That worked for me!!   My husband would roll his eyes (once more!) and give up trying to convince me that I should stop wasting my time; that they were just another weed.  I’d say, “Not so – they are just flowers growing in the wrong place(s).  Hats off to those particular weeds!”  The memory still brings a smile to my face; and so do those actual flowers whenever I find them anywhere.   Like the flowers in Dolly Parton’s, “Wildflowers Don’t Care Where They Grow”, a bluegrass gem of a different sort, they certainly don’t ask for much - they just offer their beauty wherever their seeds land.  A lesson to myself:  Whenever I am feeling overcome with the troubling weeds in life that threaten to overwhelm me, I will lift up my face, move those troubles off to the side, just a tad, and transplant smiles all around.  Think bluegrass!