One day a year the world goes laughing
CRA-A-A-AZY….
Go for it and enjoy the music from the heart!
Have a wonderful day and make ‘em laugh!
Nature’s Doorway
Nature’s Doorway video poem was created and posted last year but sometimes repeat performances are called for at just the right time! After viewing the video, take a few moments to step outside and enjoy all the beauty around you!
Have a blessed day!
Take 2: Two minutes of catnip, that is!
Get ready, grab your sides and ENJOY...
Laugh today for you do not know what tomorrow brings! That's life... ~catnipoflife
Beautiful…
Even in times of hardships and sadness one can find beauty. That beauty to me is the beauty of heart. While tears may seem to never subside, the heart still remains strong within its rhythmical beats of life. Take life one heartbeat at a time relishing in each moment, never forgetting you are beautiful! Just stop & listen for a while.
Life has loveliness to sell, all beautiful and splendid things, blue waves whitened on a cliff, soaring fire that sways and sings, and children’s faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup. —Sara Teasdale (American lyrical poet, 1884–1933)
Treasures of the Heart: Moments Captured
Life is a trail of tears, the will to cope
A mountain of discomfort based on hope
It is a highway of dreams, a road very demanding
Out of balance at times, but not without understanding
Along life’s journey appear visions of despair
Wants and desires, times that seem totally unfair
While the expedition can be arduous and cruel
It can also be full of beauty shiny as a jewel
Life’s bounties offer gifts to lovingly share
Ready to be opened and handled with care
Its treasures of the heart tenderly unfold
Becoming moments captured within the soul
A kitten’s purr or a dog standing guard
These are life’s blessings in our own backyard
Images snapped with the blinking of an eye
Are stored in the mind’s diary never to die
Family and friends enjoy a wonderful relationship
Rallying around a campfire in fun and fellowship
Reminiscent of times past—love, lives and such
Stories echo memories thought of so much
Life is an incredible album of sad and joyful times
Echoing of discordant notes and melodious chimes
Count not the yearly months, weeks or even days –
Capture the moments encountered within each phase
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
Awakenings: Beauty of America: Lighthouses
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Lighthouses have been the sentinels, the protectors, of shoreline after shoreline for centuries upon centuries. In the beginning, these were not ‘houses’ at all but instead simply bonfires built on hillsides as beacons to guide ships. Many a seafaring vessel would have crashed upon the rocks had it not been for the angel of light shining through the darkest of night or penetrating the thickest fog. Throughout history, the lighthouse has cast mysterious auras, sometimes romantic and often times echoing a ghostly resonance.
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
Have you ever vacationed or lived near a lighthouse? If so, did you sense its romanticism or feel a ghostly presence?
Go to awakenings2012.blogspot.com for the video
Lighthouses in America!
Welcome to Spring!
Love’s Presence
The soothing breath of spring
In its light of innocence
Suffuses the meadows
With a hint of tenderness
Nature’s arms embrace
The warmth of the sun
As buds and blossoms
Awaken with the dawn
Within winter’s wake
Fields and forests come alive
Stretching and yawning
As flora and fauna arrive
Freshness of the air
Bares the arrivance
Of new beginnings
In winter’s absence
Lovers solemnly stroll
Arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand
Admiring magical wonders
Within splendor of the land
Beauty of springtime
Void of the bitter cold
Propels love’s presence
Deep down into the soul
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
“In springtime, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head.”
—Terri Guillemets
The Pencil Maker
After reading about the pencil maker, I gathered a whole new perspective of this little gem, the pencil, and will view each one a little differently from now on.
A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX:
1.) EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK.
2.) YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.
3.) WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.
4.) IN LIFE, YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS, WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.
5.) TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.
Just pencils? I don’t think so…
Think about replacing the pencil with yourself. Do you promise to remember with purpose in your heart?
Magic with a common pencil…
Pencil Carving with Dalton Ghetti
“Just the tapping of a pencil is taken for granted until you see what can be done with the TIP!” ~Author Unknown
AND just when you thought you had seen them all…
Check out Intricate Sculptures Carved from a Single Pencil by Hungarian artist and deviantART user cerkahegyzo. He carves intricate miniature sculptures from a single lead pencil (with the exception of #5 & #15, not sure how he did those!). The artist says it’s a hobby and form of relaxation for him and that he carves them in his free time. During the day he works as a professional tool-maker in Hungary.
Here is a little video of miniature pencil carving in action!
Funny Dogs and Cats
I YouTube compilation of dogs and cats to brighten your morning (or afternoon)
Just a quick little funny to end the day. Thank you, Alastair. Some are quite hilarious while others make you go "Aw-w-w-w! Poor thing!" I don't like the one where the man tries to kick the cat 
My faves are the cat climbing the wall and the one moving the ottoman. Priceless! Of course, the animal world is full of surprises for both man and beast! ENJOY! 
My faves are the cat climbing the wall and the one moving the ottoman. Priceless! Of course, the animal world is full of surprises for both man and beast! ENJOY! 
Which is your favorite?
Sunday Savorings
There is no advance notice for inspiration. It comes within a moment’s time without notification, without hesitation. It comes from near, it comes from afar: As close as one’s backyard, as faraway as across oceans and continents. catnipoflife is blessed with many wonderful followers across many divides, each of whom presents his or her perspectives on life, experiences of life, joys, sorrows and personal reflections.
Today while visiting press-inside, I was inspired by the video, Danube Delta, Romania: a unique region in Europe – where one still may find, at least in certain places, untouched wild nature, unaltered by civilization. Not only did it provide so much beauty of the country but it was set to background music by Enya. By truly listening to the lyrics of Enya’s music, you will understand the catnip of life!
Enjoy and marvel in the wonders of nature within a world of endless possibilities!
so much beauty
so much beauty
outside as well as within
waiting to be explored
inviting you to begin
looking and listening
reaching for touch
laughing, singing
enjoying so much
away from the noise
the hustle, the stress
knowing inside and out
when moments need rest
abiding in the heart
deepening in the soul
waiting for the time
to unleash and behold
©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults
