Long view of poppies to lake
I start most wedding ceremonies with these words: You have been given a gift; you only need to see it to believe it.
Today I have the gift of sunshine, the gift of hanging laundry on the line, the gift of a great walk and the gift of a memory of a great discussion on Peace and Gratitude from last night.
How lucky am I?
Orange poppy close up
Now look at the magnificent gift that greeted me when I went into the yard. I have not planted a single one of those happy poppies. The forget-me-nots do not come back every year, and this year there is not a one in the yard. But there are poppies everywhere.
I am grateful for this gift and bathe in their sunny disposition. By being mindful and seeing the gift, I find contentment.
What do you see? How do you find contentment?
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on May 19th, 2011 at 6:51 am
Beautiful gifts, Patricia. I think that is truly the secret to contentment – finding gratitude and beauty in the little things. A whole bunch of them add up to a lot in the course of a day.
Talon recently posted..Groundhog Alley
patricia Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Talon,
You are so very right!
Thank you for your great words.
It took me 45 tries to get these poppy pictures without them being blurry from my shaky hands….I kept saying now what would Kim do? what would Kim do?
Also gratitude is a huge part of the change process
on May 19th, 2011 at 8:17 am
What lovely photographs. I am not at all surprised you find contentment when you see those poppies waiting to greet you!
We have red poppies in our garden that I have not planted. Last year only one bloomed in our front side border.
It was my husband who pointed out that the single poppy had bloomed directly in front of a small wooden cross which he had ‘planted’ in the ground after ‘Rememberance Sunday’ of which the red poppy is of course the symbol. We thought this quite inspiring in itself!
I find inspiration and contentment in my garden and in the scent of newly washed sheets hung out to dry in the sun
Debbie
Deborah recently posted..I Meant to Say
patricia Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Deborah,
Your last post inspired this post and one to follow about “stupid” – you were the liberator of this idea.
I have a different kind of poppy in the front yard – of the kind Georgia O’Keefe painted (I have that painting over my fireplace) These bloom at the same time as a deep purple Japanese Iris blooms in front…The iris came to us after a rain storm flooded our street and joined the poppy garden!
I am not very fond of the poppy called California Poppy and they grow wild near the Interstate.
We call Remembrance Day Memorial Day and do the poppy symbol also – what a nice story
I am addicted to the lovely smell of clothing fresh from the line – yes indeed! The put all this perfume in washing soaps her and dryer sheets – it just smells awful…and gives me a headache..
Thanks for you great visit here. Happy Spring
on May 19th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
This post made me so happy! And encourages me to take a break and give thanks.
vered | blogger for hire recently posted..The One Request from School I Dread the Most
patricia Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
vered,
Gratitude is one of the best gifts of change…often overlooked, sometimes because it comes years after the major change happens and it takes hindsight….it is never too late.
I had to dig into what was making me so discontent this year, and the poppies just served to remind me that life is flowing and step by step…With that realization I figured out the anger instantly and I think I have found a business that I can do well and make money at – So I had to figure out the anger, feel gratitude and then came the open for the understanding which might lead to some great wisdom.
on May 19th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Hi Patricia! How positively lovely – both the flowers and your words today! I have irises about to pop open any day now and enjoy my lilacs and lily of the valley today. My yard never smelled so good! My spring allergies have been so awful I’m not outside 15 minutes til my nose is dripping. Haven’t had it this bad in decades – boy this is some season! Kinda makes it hard to get all the veggies in but I’m doing a bit each day.
Thanks for sharing your wonder!
Hugs
suZen
patricia Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
thanks suZen for sharing in my delight today – we are having such a weird season too…
There is so much snow in the mountains and water in the rivers that they are turning off the windmills in the eastern part of the state – we have too much power!
Today with the sunshine Mt. Rainier was outrageously stunning..still solid with snow. My camera can not capture it.
May the allergies ease up soon… I feel for you
on May 21st, 2011 at 12:26 am
Hi Patricia .. I love the little wild or meadow flowers that spring up – and we have flowers popping out and cascading down our walls – they always bring me great joy .. can’t remember what those are called ..
but love-in-the mist is one .. and the forget-me-nots .. and the red poppies our corn fields are splattered with those – it looks wonderful .. while the poppies that spring up are glorious too. We’ve got an outbreak of borage – beautiful ..
but we are desperate for rain (in the diagonal southern half of the country) .. bet it comes when the tennis comes to Eastbourne, just before Wimbledon ..! Our plants are really suffering … I feel for them ..
Cheers Hilary
Hilary recently posted..Food and snippets – more glorious food – Dinner a la Royals 2-2
patricia Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 10:58 am
Our rain has been back all weekend Hilary and we just keep running out to work each pause in the downpour. There is so much to do – rain or not
Our scotch broom or gorse is massively in bloom here too.
Just have to take hold of the gifts wherever they come and how they arrive…
Although a pesky mole is making trails and the slugs are devouring the flowers and blooms – they love this rain!
on May 21st, 2011 at 3:21 am
Hi Patricia
Gifts all around us this time of year, especially in the garden.
I have poppies, which were planted by my neighbour.
My neighbour is no longer with us, but the poppies are there as a reminder.
Enjoyed the post Patricia – made me think of my dear neighbour.
Keith Davis recently posted..Online Video- Un Art… Une Technique
patricia Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 11:00 am
some seasons Keith it is just easier to see the gifts! I do think the gift of remembering is vital and life giving too
on May 22nd, 2011 at 4:05 pm
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on May 25th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Beautiful sentiments, Patricia. And the orange poppy is like a Welsh Poppy that we have all over the place growing wild here (not just here in Wales either, but it was in our London place in England, too). they are very pretty.
Val recently posted..Baby Birds!
Patricia Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Hi Val,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Maybe I brought the poppy seeds back from my trip to UK – on my shoes?
They are pretty
Patricia recently posted..Unfinished Business- One Man’s Extraordinary Year of Trying to do the Right Things Lee Kravitz