STANDING IN AWE OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING IN IT

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Back at my laptop again after an early morning's walk.😍
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This morning's walk took about 30 minutes around the village up and down the mountain.... seeing green trees swaying to a mild refreshing breeze .... hearing the chorus of chirping birds, roosters crowing, and dogs barking their morning greetings.... and walking the streets that has seen its good days and bad (so much like life aye?). Of course couldn't ignore the flowers blooming their brightest from several gardens in the neighborhood. Each looking like new everytime I pass through the place. Amazing! Everything under a huge canopy of spotless blue skies. The bluest of blue -- it never fails to take my breath away.
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And ... rounding the bend I come across my good neighbor who lives about three houses away from my house. Probably in his eighties and a really kind friendly person. We chatted though but briefly as I had to take my leave to finish my walk while he was already at the tail-end of his.
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It is in moments like this that you stand in awe of the total tapestry of life. The birth of new plants and buds .. and the decay and withering away in its own allotted time. Everything is and has its own place and time. Same way in the world of humans.
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Everything in its whole and in its every nitty-bitty detail points to a magnificent Creator. One who is aware of our comings and goings. One who is constantly there for us. Who continually loves us, sinner or saint, unconditionally.
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Yup, and that includes the gorgeous smile of AJ as  he saw me coming in through the front door.😍
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Have a great and blessed day, friends. Pay kindness forward. The world needs plenty of that. God bless you.

LIFE, THINGS, AND THE WORLD -- BETTER SEEN WITH THE EYES OF THE HEART

   

    

    

  

Good morning, world 😊

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Up early and out the door before 7:00am for my morning walk. And Lo! just who greets me with a gorgeous smile ----- Mr. Sun! Though shyly yet as he wasn't fully up and out from behind the mountains.

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I have seen many sunrises and sunsets in my life and you might think that I have become quite jaded and tired by the same-old-song being played, so to speak.

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But no. Not happening. And you know why? Because sometimes it is really not what you are looking at... but how you see it which tells you a different story each time. Made interesting each time.

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It's like....

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Looking at your husband or wife day in and day out. Same old face, same old habits and mannerisms, same old nagging makulit, same old everything. But you stay there rooted to the floor, sometimes wondering. Two things. It's either you wonder just how you got this 'monster' .... or you thank God you found this 'angel'.

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Those thoughts ripple through your mind each day, and you wrestle with it everytime. Until finally you get to learn and understand .. (maybe some divine intervention happened somewhere there for your learning).. that this person is your life, this person is not unlike you, and that this person is there for a reason.

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Something happens in your heart. Change - you become kinder, patient, forgiving, tolerant, understanding, considerate, appreciative, amazed, awed, perhaps thankful too. This change makes you look at the person, at yourself, at your life .. differently. It opens new doors you never dreamed or thought would.

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When you stop - look - listen to the prodding in your heart, you open yourself to miracles happening everyday.

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it's the same thing when you look at people.... nature.... things.... experiences.... and the big wide world outside. It's better seen with the eyes of the heart.

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That's how my seeing the same old sunrise every morning is renewed everyday.

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And these flowers and plants adorning the path I travel three or four times a week have been there for a long time now. But they look just as gorgeous as the first day I saw them. Sometimes so much more. Thank God for these beauties.

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A PAINTING -- A MEMORY FROZEN IN TIME

 

MOTHER NATURE - MY ETERNAL LOVE

 

 --- Do you know why I love road trips,especially out there in the provinces? It's the pleasure of gazing at a wide expanse of meadows and fields and of the blue skies that I love. Blue skies punctuated with clouds white and light, stationary or in flight. Add to that the landscape of mountain ranges and the rich greens of trees and forests and the magnificence of the plant kingdom. There's nothing like it.

These were my thoughts when I painted this back then. And it has been a constant theme in my paintings.... the diversity of Mother Nature's landscape. She's a beauty and always will be to my eyes, heart and mind. I love her and always will.

I'm bringing this here to share with you who, I believe, also share the love for Mother Nature.

Thank you.

A MORNING'S WALK - PLUS ONE CHALLENGE

It's the usual morning walk but this time with a difference.  I decided to climb higher up the hill! Yes, I knew that the slopes could and would be mighty steep and the roads not in tip-top shape unlike those on the ground..... but sometimes you just have to be foolishly in love with Mother Nature to do the silly thing other people my age wouldn't do. :-)

And so, on with the morning walk and climb............... 

 

 The first trek up the hill. Oh no, this isn't a deserted place. It's a subdivision (you know that already) but situated by the side of a mountain... or a hill... whatever. 

 

See the lady there sweeping the front of her home. She does that every morning everyday. And so do her neighbors.  Rounding that bend there will take me to the next incline up the hill.

  

The thick mass of trees on the right is a forest conservation area.  You can hear a chorus of birds with their usual morning concerto. They never miss a note. Music to the ears!

 

Dark?  The sun hasn't filtered through the trees yet. It's biding its time coming out from behind the other side of the mountain. No worries; residential houses line the street on the left. They're up early ... in fact I could smell the hot dogs and sausages being prepared for their school kids' breakfast. :-) 

  

That looks flat to you??  On the contrary. That is quite steep... STEEP!  So I had to move slow. This was when I thought --- a wooden staff would be helpful this time as it would serve as my third leg. To aid my legs which felt like crumbling under this ordeal.  Almost made me think -- 'what was I thinking... going up the hill!?!!' Aaarrgghhh.... !!!

 

Nearing the top now.... Was I thankful to be in my rubbers as each step was  a sure needed grip on that steep slope.  Was very careful because of the many dry leaves, some decaying and could be slippery, spread out on the road like carpet. heheheh..... :-)

  

Made it!! And that tree there seemed to be smiling at me with --- 'Congratulations, kiddo! Welcome to the top of the hill!'  :-) 

  

And so did the sun say 'Good job!' as it shone brightly through the trees. :-)

  

And I got more than I had hoped for ---  all these wonderful gorgeous flowers!  Words not enough to describe each one of them in all of their beauty and glory!! :-) ... :-)  I may not know their names, except for the famous ones, but it doesn't matter now.  Sufficient to say that nothing would or could ever compare to any of them as they showed off their most brilliant Mother-Nature-signature-smiles. My cup overflowed with joy and delight just looking at them! :-)

 

  

Well, after having had my fill and a wonderful time spent with Mother Nature...   I decided it was time to head back down the hill.   That again may look flat and level to you ... but that is a steep slope going down!!  I had to be extra careful lest I slide or roll down and end up with bashed bones and crushed ego!  The pull of gravity downwards is much more felt on a very steep slope such as this. Negotiating that slope can be quite tricky for a little ole lady like this one... heheheh :-) :-)

  

Whew!! Finally, back on ground level. 

  

And getting hot as the sun was now inching its way higher up to the skies.

  

A couple of blocks more to go and I'm Home!  This was such a lovely early morning walk!!!  :-) :-)

A lovely blessing from on high. Thank you!

 

 

FLOWERS GRACING MY EARLY MORNING WALK

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This morning I decided to do something different with my early morning walk ..... to take pictures of flowers down the paths winding round the hilly neighborhood.
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You see, sometimes we, in-spite of our brilliance, don't notice our surroundings as much as we really should. We simply gloss over the terrain not minding the many wonders, big and small, God placed in there for our enjoyment and pleasure.
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We know it's there but we take it all for granted. Just as we think that the trees around us will always be there and so pay no attention to them. Not realizing that even trees, or all of nature for that matter, also need our attention and care. They too, as we all know it, take care of the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the water that rains down on our fields.
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Life on this planet is a give-and-take. A symbiotic existence.... there is something you have that I need or something that I have that you need. An interdependent relationship between man and man... and man and nature.
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So this morning I decided to pay closer attention to my walk. And with heightened expectations hied off with the rising sun so eager to see lovely surprises packed into this particular morning landscape. By God's design.
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These pictures were taken with my phone. It could be better with the right tool I know........ but this little ole lady makes do with what she has. I think in this case, it is the object and not the tool which is magic...... magically Magnificent!
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Of course, the morning walk wouldn't be complete without the usual trip to the talipapa (market) for fruits... banana, lansones, mangoes, pineapple (later sliced and slid into the refrigerator to cool). Added to my basket too were.. golden squash, sweet potatoes and saging na saba.
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Great day.. indeed! Thank God!
May God bless you and your dear ones.