Mara:
—Flowers. Beautiful flowers are one of the things that always make me stop and take photos. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll notice that most of my photos are of flowers. (This is also partly because my daughter no longer allows me to take pictures of her!) I just get mesmerized by the miracle of nature that creates the colors and the variety of flowers! And we have a gorgeous crop of them this spring because of all the rain!
—Bee Specialists. So I looked out my window the other day and noticed a shocking number of bees swarming around my backyard. It looked like a cloud. I felt like I had been dropped into a bee-pocalypse. If you've never experienced a bee swarm, it's a bizarre flurry of bees that fly around and then settle into what looks like a hive. Usually they're not actually creating a hive (with wax and honey); they're just stopping to eat and rest. But they go from being this crazy swarm of bees to being a giant clump of bees that look like the hives you see in Winnie the Pooh stories. Fortunately, there are bee specialists who will come and collect the bees—alive—and relocate them to a safe place. Bees are very important and helpful...I just didn't want 1000 of them in my backyard.
—Earplugs. I'm not a great sleeper, so about 10 years ago I started sleeping with earplugs because there were too many noises in the night that would wake me up: my daughter going to the bathroom, the dog licking himself, my husband snoring, etc. Well, turns out that our lovely cat, regularly sits on our bed and meows at my husband at 3 a.m. because she wants whatever a cat wants at 3 a.m... but because of my earplugs it doesn't wake me up!! Yay earplugs!
Toni:
—Everything Mara said about earplugs. Except I don't have a cat or a daughter living at home, so substitute parties in the neighborhood and squirrels scurrying around on the bedroom roof.
—My friend Dawn. She's been a steady visitor ever since I got sick even though, before that, we hadn't seen each other for many years. Imagine that. Many of my friends dropped out of my life when I got sick, but Dawn came into it. In March, I'll have seen her four times.
—Signs of spring. Mara talked about flowers. I love them too, but the most special part of spring for me is when the trees and bushes start to "blossom" with light green, soft and tender leaves. They're especially beautiful when backlit by the sun the way the crepe myrtle in my backyard sometimes is as I look at it while lying in bed. The last few days, the leaves on that crepe myrtle seem to be growing as I watch!
What have you been grateful for this month?
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Toni:
—Everything Mara said about earplugs. Except I don't have a cat or a daughter living at home, so substitute parties in the neighborhood and squirrels scurrying around on the bedroom roof.
—My friend Dawn. She's been a steady visitor ever since I got sick even though, before that, we hadn't seen each other for many years. Imagine that. Many of my friends dropped out of my life when I got sick, but Dawn came into it. In March, I'll have seen her four times.
—Signs of spring. Mara talked about flowers. I love them too, but the most special part of spring for me is when the trees and bushes start to "blossom" with light green, soft and tender leaves. They're especially beautiful when backlit by the sun the way the crepe myrtle in my backyard sometimes is as I look at it while lying in bed. The last few days, the leaves on that crepe myrtle seem to be growing as I watch!
What have you been grateful for this month?
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| Swarm of bees in Mara's backyard. |
1. Dogs. I think dogs are meant for a person or people as that person's guide, and to offer unconditional love. We don't choose our dogs; they choose us. A dog's life is meaningful and selfless, as they choose someone who needs them very much.
ReplyDelete2. Sun. I love light, and sun is in surplus here in Oklahoma so I'm grateful to live here.
3. Technology. I loved on books as a child. Before getting my first Kindle, I had not been able to read a book in over five years. Technology allows me to enjoy more of life's offerings than if I were left on my own....bad eyes with diabetic complications, pain, etc.
Thanks!
Yes to all the things on your list!! Definitely appreciate those things every month!! --M
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