Airplanes, trains, buses, cars, yachts and RVs will be reelin’, rockin’ and rollin’ toward sunny beaches, campgrounds and other getaway destinations this coming weekend. But, WHY? The fact is the very mention of Memorial Day brings to mind Memorial Day weekend: the celebratory weekend marking the beginning of the busy summer season. For some, it is better representative of the ending of yet another school year. For many, it is a long weekend with an extra day off from daily work routines.

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Terry’s featured poetry is the perfect prelude to Memorial Day!

http://awakenings2012.blogspot.com/2013/05/photograph-in-my-mind.html

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

The Blackstone Valley has always been a farming community. Although it was the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, the farms have always been here too. People, after all, need to eat and where the ground is fertile and apple orchards thrive, families will farm.

Summer has come, right on time. It usually shows up just around Memorial Day and that will be here this weekend. The cows are serene. The chickens and horses are content and peaceful. The corn is coming up green and it looks like a good crop is on the way. Soon we’ll have fresh local produce and our air will be full of the scent of things growing from the earth.

See MORE gorgeous pictures on teepee12.com

Source: Missouri Botanical Garden

A grandmother and a little girl whose face was sprinkled with bright red freckles spent the day at the zoo.

The children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws. “You’ve got so many freckles, there’s no place to paint!” a boy in the line cried.

Embarrassed, the little girl dropped her head. Her grandmother knelt down next to her. “I love your freckles,” she said.

“Not me,” the girl replied.

“Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles” she said, tracing her finger across the child’s cheek. “Freckles are beautiful!”

The girl looked up. “Really?”

“Of course,” said the grandmother. “Why, just name me one thing that’s prettier than freckles.”

The little girl peered into the old woman’s smiling face. “Wrinkles,” she answered softly.

This story reminds me of the saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” Its meaning can be taken literally as ‘the perception of beauty is subjective.’ In other words, it depends upon what one sees as beauty transpired from the heart. . .feelings of joy, peace, contentment or sadness, agitation, unhappiness.

The freckles of life are those little annoyances which if not perceived differently, lead to aggravation, frustration and unhappiness. The little girl in the story thought others saw her freckles as ugly which left her with a sense of unhappiness. This perception was challenged and changed through the eyes of her grandmother.

As a person ages, wrinkles are inevitable. They may be fine lines around the eyes or deeper almost rutted areas formed through years of hard work, worry and stress. The wrinkles of life add character but are too often perceived as making a once very attractive person ugly.

Whether freckles or wrinkles, true beauty is present when seen through the eyes of love. This is beholding to both humans and animals. Have you ever seen a cat or a dog with a blotch on one eye but not on the other, a straggly coat of fur that looks like it has never been brushed, a crooked jaw maybe stemming from an accident, one-eyed or eyes of a different color perhaps even crossed? How many times have you said, “Look at that UGLY cat?” or “Man, I would never own a dog that UGLY?” Are they ugly when someone cures them of hunger, heals their wounds, or cuddles them at bedtime?

The ugliest person, place or thing can be the most beautiful in the world when seen through the eyes of love. Next time you see someone or an animal to which your first reaction might be “UG-LY!” stop and think about the fact that that person is loved by someone somewhere in time. To them, they are beautiful!

May you have a blessed day enjoying the beauty of the world through the eyes of love!

Reblogged from raaniyork:

• 

Dear Gentlemen,

So far we already had learnt the “How to kiss a woman” and “How to ask a woman out”.

Today it’s time to check on the Do’s and Don’ts in a relationship… Imagine you had asked her out and it was a beautiful evening, you had kissed her and it was sensational… at this point you Guys might end up in a relationship.

Read more… 711 more words

Mother’s Day is not chocolate and roses for all mothers. For our military sons, daughters and mothers, the miles of separation are great indeed. The sons and daughters have mothers back home celebrating without their presence. Mothers have children left behind that will be celebrating with family and friends. Time away from home can be hard emotionally and psychologically and especially so on Mother’s Day.

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 12

Mother’s Day 2013

With motherhood comes moments of happiness and smiles, as well as tears of joy and sorrow. On this day, may all Mothers be remembered for moments of rejoicing, struggles, sacrifices and unconditional love.

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Motherhood — the Oldest Profession

By Micki Peluso, author of “…And the Whippoorwill Sang“

This Sunday mother’s throughout the country will be honored in many and various ways. Toddlers and preschool children will cheerfully drag their mothers to their favorite fast food places and older children will escort them, with great decorum, to restaurants with actual dinnerware. The majority of children will serve their mothers breakfast in bed, a calamitous tradition that refuses to die. Adult children with children of their own will have greater reverence for their mothers, graced with understanding and empathy. Mothers will righteously accept the presents, cards, flowers and candy, and promises of exemplary behavior in the future. She has always and will continue to deserve the esteem bestowed upon her by her family on this one honored day of each year…

CONTINUED @ AWAKENINGS

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

“Walk among the wilds, gaze at the sky, understand nature and feel the spirits as they pass you by.” ~SLS

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Papa walked along life’s rocky path
Where no flowers lay beneath his feet
Tired and weary bones from toil and pain
Found rest only during winter’s sleep

 End of day brought Papa home
To Mama waiting at the door
With a faint-hearted smile he entered
Then wanted to leave no more

 No dust, grime, or smell of sweat
Not a place drab and dreary
Sweet fragrances of lilac and roses
Made the air bright and cheery

 Mama’s laugh made Papa smile
Ending the drudgery of the day
Early morning sun came too soon
Once again finding Papa on his way

 He stopped and smelled the flowers
Along side the dusty road
On the way home he picked a few
To lightened his heavy load

 A tradition handed down…

 Mama worked hard each day
Some days ready to explode
Papa brought Mama flowers
To lightened her heavy load

©2009 Remembering
Sharla Lee Shults

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