Sunday Sunshine: The More You Give!:

Give Lavishly!

The more you give,

the more you get.

The more you laugh,

the less you fret

The more you do

unselfishly.

The more you live

abundantly,

The more of everything

you share,

The more you'll always

have to spare.

The more you love,

the more you'll find

That life is good

and friends are kind.

For only what

we give away

Enriches us

from day to day.

--Helen Steiner Rice

Blessings!

Sunday Sunshine: Sing Me A Song

A Vagabond Song

THERE is something in the autumn that is native to my blood
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple  and the crimson keeping time.
The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.
There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

Bliss Carman. 1861

Sunday Sunshine: Autumn Woods

I like the woods

In Autumn

When dry leaves hide the ground.

When the trees are bare.

And the wind sweeps by

with a lonesome rushing sound.

I can rustle the leaves

In Autumn

And I can make a bed

In the thick dry leaves

That have fallen

From the bare trees

Overhead.

--James S. Tippett

Sunday Sunshine:

To everything there is a season, 

and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

--Ecclesiastes 1: 1

A purpose for living.

A purpose for loving.

A purpose for doing.

A purpose for acting.

A purpose for being alive.

A purpose for sharing.

A purpose for GOD. 

Use this season wisely.

Seasonal blessings!

Sunday Sunshine: Strength and Courage

I breathe in my courage

and exhale my fear.

Be strong and of good courage,

Do not fear nor be afraid of them.

For the Lord, your God,

He is the one who

goes before you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Stay strong!

Sunday Sunshine: Strength

The devil whispered in my ear,

"You're not strong enough

to withstand the storm."

I whispered back,

"No, but God is."

LOVE!

Sunday Sunshine: A Favorite Scripture

Let not your heart be troubled;

you believe in God,

 believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions;

if it were not so, I would have told you.

And if I go to prepare a place for you,

I will come again,

and receive you unto myself;

that where I am,

there you may be also.

St. John 14: 13

Assurance.

Confidence.

Love.

We can rest on those words.

Sunday Sunshine: Whispers

God whispers to our hearts.

Our hearts whisper back in stories.

Happy Reading!

Sunday Sunshine: The Key to Serenity

The Key to Serenity

When you know

and believe

without question

or doubt

That in all you do

God is there

to help out,

You hold in your hand

the golden key

to peace and joy

and serenity.

--Helen Steiner Rice

Sunday Sunshine: Crowns of Glory

And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory
that will never fade away.
I Peter 5:4


There are crowns...
and then there is a CROWN!



A crown of thorns.
Painful.
Shameful.
No one wants to wear this crown.

An ancient, Grecian Crown.
Worn long ago for celebrations or
for victors in battles or races.

A Child's Crown of flowers.
A touch of imagination,
outdoorsy,
good-for-the body and soul fun.
But, we all have to grow up sometime.

A Princess Crown
Beautiful.
Royalty.
But few of us will attain to wear one of these.

A Crown of Glory.
Everlasting.
A real reward worth working toward.
God's gift to us!

Don't give up!
Ever!


Fight on, Christian Soldier!

Sunday Sunshine: Another God-given Day!

What's more beautiful than a summer morning

The gorgeous blue sky

the rising golden sun

The mist over a valley

and the many prospects ahead for the day.

Let us be glad and rejoice!

God's given us another day to enjoy.

Sunday Sunshine: Hold Your Tongue!

Need I say more?

A peaceful Sunday is wished for you!

Sunday Sunshine: Quotes and Flags

America was not built on fear

American was built on courage, 

on imagination, and on determination to do the job at hand. 

--Harry S. Truman

The American flag is the symbol of our freedom, national pride, and history. 

-- Mike Fitzgerald

I look forward to a great future for our country

a future in which our country 

will match its military strength with its moral restraint,

its wealth with its wisdom,

its power with our purpose.

--John F. Kennedy 

Blessings!

Sunday Sunshine: Beauty

Things are beautiful if you love them.

Lovely sunrise.

A promise.

An encouragement.

A breath of fresh air.

Look up.

Life is good.

Blessings

Sunday Sunshine: The Love of a Child's Cat

Cat

My cat

is quiet.

She moves without a sound.

Sometimes she stretches herself into curving

on tiptoe.

Sometimes she crouches low

and creeping.

Sometimes she rubs herself against a chair,

and there

with a miew and miew

and a purrr  purrr  purrr

She curls up

and goes to sleep.

My cat

lives through a black hole

Under the house.

so one day I

crawled in after her.

And it was dark

and I sat

and didn't know

where to go.

And then-- 

round little lights

came moving...moving...toward me.

And there

with a miew and a miew

and a purr   purr   purr

My cat

rubbed soft against me.

And I knew

the lights

were MY CAT'S EYES

in the dark.

--Dorothy Baruch

1933

Sunday Sunshine: Posies Make Me Smile

God has created a beautiful world!

Take a look at some of his handiwork:

So this happened.

I planted six of these pots w/petunias and other accents.

Love!

Dogwood blossoms are just totally awesome. 

See our horse in the background? 

Remember, as kids, sucking the honey from wild honeysuckle?

These tame ones always put on a spectacular display!

Is there anything more breathtaking than these stunning Rhododendrons?

Happy Posie Day!

Sunday Sunshine: The Daffodils

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd--

A host of golden daffodils

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I, at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;

A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company;

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie,

In vacant or in pensive mood,

The flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

--William Wordsworth

Sunday Sunshine: A Taste of Robert Browning

The Year's at the Spring

The year's at the spring

And the day's at the morn;

Morning's at seven;

The hillside's dew-petaled;

The lark's on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn;

God's in his heaven--

All's right with the world!

--Robert Browning

Sunday Sunshine: April Showers Bring May Flowers

Ah, rainy days...

What's the old saying? April showers bring May flowers? 
And it's true. Just so it is in life. We may go through hard times but that period only makes us or breaks us, and it's up to us to decide which it will be. Think about it. Even if I die because of the hard times, I don't have to admit defeat. I can rejoice for all the good, exciting and rewarding times I've experienced, I can breathe easier for the times I created or encouraged good, for the friends I made and the family I had, for the things I learned and the best I could do or the lessons I learned and shared.

So, today, I'm sharing some rainy day pics and a few of the beautiful sunny days too! Enjoy!

Behind every storm cloud, there's a sun shining! 

You've got a friend...or two or three!

Enjoy the showers! 

Beautiful sunrise...

New beginnings!

Embrace the sun,

Your adventures and life!

Don't be afraid to dream,

hope for tomorrow's efforts,

wish for the seemingly impossible!

Enjoy life!

Sunday Sunshine: Beauties of the Field and Water

Lilies

Purple Delight

Yellow Sunshine

Red Velvet

White Holiness

White Clusters of Beauty

Pink Princess

Creamy Shyness

Enjoy!