Love begets Happiness?

Treasures In The Garden

Sometimes it isn"t easy....

 

To love unconditionally.

Of all That is Important, LOVE is First

A glut of tomatoes to make jam, relish and chutney

Treasures In The Garden

Love is the most important of all!

LOVE

does not

look at

 your

body

 or your face.

Rather it

 looks at

 your beautiful

 loving HEART!

Measuring Success



 Hippeastrums peeping through the mulch. Spring Success!



We make a living by what we get.

 We make a life by what we give.

The heart is happiest when it beats for others.

This is the first day of the rest of my life.

 I have 1005% of the rest of my life to live.

I have measured the success of my life knowing that my entire family have turned out to be brilliant, good and caring adults. There is nothing else that compares. C 



Forgive and forget

King parrots feasting at the hanging feed tray amongst
the bottlebrush and grasses

      From My Garden

I'm finding that for relationships to be happy I need to be a good forgiver and and a good forgetter.


Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I have 100% of the rest of my life to live.






I am responsible for my own happiness. I must not rely on others to be responsible for making me happy. In order to get that result I have to look within myself and pull out what resources I have there that are going to achieve that outcome.

So I have let go of my past and moved on to the present. Right here and now is where I am happy. I am happy in this moment . I am alive. I am well. I am happy. I am warm. My tummy is full. I have a nice home and garden. I am in a place of peace. I don't look too far into the future because I have no idea what is there. So this moment and the next is all I have.

So now that I am participating in the game of life, I am appreciating every special moment - and I am happy and  at peace.

Today I wish you happiness and peace throughout this beautiful sunshiny day. C.

What is Success?



                                         

A relaxing space where I sometimes
read, write eat, or think.

From My Garden

Success in my life is found in loving and  giving,
 Not in winning or owning THINGS.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I still have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

Lasting happinss does not come from what I can GET.
I find lasting happiness in what I can GIVE.

And that giving is not always gift giving, but it can be something like that...... like when I have shared something from my garden, or something I have cooked with my garden produce.
 But the best giving of all is
A friendly smile,
 an enquiry about a persons health or that of a loved one,
an offer to pray for someone in need,
 a card to wish someone well when they have been ill,
 a postcard to a lonely person when I am on holiday.

And...
these are the kind of things that I too appreciate.
There is nothing more special than a phone call from someone I haven't heard from in a while,
 or a visit from a friend I haven't seen in ages,
 a sharing of conversation about the happenings in our lives.

I've found age brings wisdom
 And with wisdom comes the appreciation of thoughtfulness and friendship and LOVE.
 Money can't buy any of these things.

 So.... today I pass these thoughts to you to share around and hope that you too can find lasting happiness.... and can PASS IT ON! C



If I am to partipate in the game of life I will need to appreciate each precious moment

especially those that have come from the heart.



God is everywhere

A Rose for love

             From My Garden

Faith does not only believe that God can, but that God will.
And.... faith without works is dead.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I still have 100% of my life left to live.




I can't imagine life without God in it......
in the birth of a baby
in a child's smile
in the love of a Mother for her children
in the sincere love between husband and wife
in a beautiful sunrise or sunset
in the greeting from my dog/ cat when I come home from somewhere.
in a beautiful rose
in a sunshower
in the goodness and kindness within people.......
in the innocent eyes of my grandchildren
God is everywhere if I take the time to look.

Take time to look at all things beautiful and maybe you too will find God there. ..... and share your find. C.

Rewards in everyday living

Some mystical creatures who grace my indoor garden.
 A cute gift from my daughter-in-law

       From My Garden

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

Some smart employers share both profits and credit with their employees.. This is not always because it is deserved, but because the employer knows it is a way to greater success for a business and for the benefit of encouraging the employee to participate and enjoy the fruits of that success. 

I love my job.

The benefits from working where I work is not only the monetary reward, but the reward of being part of a very successful enterprise. I hear that everywhere I go, when I tell people where I am employed. I am told constantly " that place has a very good reputation". That's so great to be part of something  like that and to know I make a small contribution to it's success in my own unique way.

The other rewards that I reap are:

 that I am much older than all the people who are employed at my place of work, and I am truly grateful that at my age I can still make a contribution to a thriving business;.

my children and grandchildren are a long way away so I am lucky that I work with younger people who are around my children's ages and give me stimulating company as I work; 

 

and of course the nature of my work is with children, so while I don't have my grandchildren in my daily life I can share the joy and excitement and company  of small children as they journey through their lives unaware of the contribution they make to my life;

and the fact that I have other things to contribute to conversation at home other that my garden, housework, my pets, the weather.

So it makes life more exciting to go to a job that rewards me in more ways than with money.

I like the money too. It allows me to travel and get to see my family at least once a year.

So once again the mundane can be exciting if I look at the positives within the eveyday environment of where I live, how I live, why I do what I do, and how I make that all work.

I wish you the joy in finding excitement in the mundane of your everyday life. I know you will find it there if you just look. C.

    

Living the rest of life....

"Toady"- a present from my kids - a long time ago.
Beauty in his "ugliness"!

From My Garden

For the rest of my life:
Especially I will be unafraid
to enjoy what is beautiful in each day.
I will believe, that as I give to the world
the world will give to me.
 
And.... I have 100% of the rest of my life to live.....
 a lovely long to live by this code.

Reaching Out



In door garden



            From My Garden

                   Drop a stone into the water -
                       In a moment it is gone,
                  but there are a hundred ripples
                      circling on, and on, and on.
                
                  Say an unkind word this moment-
                        in a moment it is gone
                   but there are a hundred ripples

circling on, and on, and on.

 Say a word of cheer and splendor -

in a moment it is gone

but there are a hundred ripples

circling on, and on, and on. 

Looking up as well as down. Beauty is everywhere.

        From My Garden

From morning till night

 May this day glow bright

And be nicer than ever before....

As experiences come and go

May your happiness grow

May your dreams be fulfilled

Even more...... 

Being happy is......

In my succulent patch again

        From My Garden

          Being happy is not owning things.
                    It is having inner peace,
                           a spiritual glow,
                    a reaching out to others,
                            love of self,
          appreciation of the good things in life,
                         having dreams.

Giving Kindness



The mulberry tree in the newly mulched garden



      From My Garden

When we give away a flower

Its fragrance stays behind

Like a special little "thank you"

For doing something kind....

When we give away a word

To cheer someone's distress

The glow of it remains with us

To bring us happiness...

When we give away a loving smile

To lighten someone's heart

Our own is always lightened

By the love that we impart....

                                                                                     In fact, the sweetest things of all

                                                                                       That bring us joy each day

                                                                                        Are not the ones we try to keep

                                                                                         But those we give away.

Expressions of love

From my succulent patch

        From My Garden

           A hug is worth a thousand words.
               A friend is worth even more.

    A loving family is priceless.

Connecting with the soul



A geranium in bloom



         From My Garden

           Relaxation time will get me in touch
        with the treasures within my inner being.

A Beautiful Sunny Day.



A stunning dawning of a new
and beautiful day taken from
our verandah.



Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I have 100% of the rest of my life to live. What an exciting thought that is. I still have time to fullfil lots more of my dreams and aspirations.

I have decided to release "old " out of my vocabulary and turn "ageing" into living longer. Positive move!

I think the key to creativity is knowing that my own thinking creates my experiences and the even the smallest experience can be an absolute "delight" if my I allow my attitude to be  positive.

Today began as a stunning and beautiful day.  A miracle occurred... I was up very early, for me, to greet this inspiring scene. Yesterday we had a pea soup fog which didn't allow us to see even the house across the way. The fog stayed with us till 9.30am.... and the sun came out to greet the day at 10.25am. How exhilerating it was to see the sun arrive at such an early time today. My body was rearing to be on the move.

                                                      This morning I have been  for my weekly  visit  to the gym. I seem to be improving. This is the best day I have had. I had a couple of puffs of my ventolin puffer and it seemed to improve my breathing. So that was a great thing to know. I work out everyday at home but it is great to spend time with others who are all aspiring to do the same thing.... get fit and lose weight. I am getting there. This week I have seesawed up and down in the 87kg zone. My aspiration is to get below that by this time next week. Considering I started off at 97.9kg it is a big improvement. Thank you to all the people who have encouraged me. I couldn't have done without you. 

Last night we watched " Miss Fiisher's Murder Mysteries."  It was the last of the series. I am going to miss Phrynny. At least it was a bit different from other series.  I loved her eccentricity and her gorgeous clothes and the era the series is set in. Hope it comes back again.

Yesterday, for me, was such a good day. I am progressing well with my scrapbooking project . It is just about finished. My knitting project is not progressing quite so well. I'm up to my fifth pull out and  begin again. Never mind, it's a test of patience. I've never had a lot of that. I'm still praying for improvement in that area.

What  I was grateful for today 

The sun came out and lifted spirits. My scrapbooking progressed well. I was healthy and alive to greet another day. That's a lot to be grateful for.

God in my life

Being loved and cared about, prosperity of spirit, feeling happy, having positive thoughts. Continuing to read my little white book which will finish at Pentecost. I will miss that too. And of course my daily prayers.

 Find happiness within yourself and let it grow. And as it grows and increases......... pass it on. And may you find yourself wrapped in God's unconditional love. C.