Hope in a Pot

Hydrangeas are my favorite perennials,

and I have a beautiful Endless Summer hydrangea

in front of my house.

For Easter, my sister gave me a new hydrangea plant

in a 4" pot, ready to be planted. I'm planning to put it

in the back yard where I can enjoy it from my porch.

I'll think of her whenever I see it.

Opening Up

So many possibilities in life -

It's a matter of being open to them.

"Life's a journey, not a destination."

                                          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Easter Joy

A day of renewal, growth, and hope:

May I keep those words

in my heart today.

Being Pampered

Tonight dinner was entirely made by my husband. It could have been pretty much 

anything and I would have loved it, but it was delicious ravioli.

He always comes through for me when I'm a bit down. I'm so blessed.

Porch Joy

A sunny afternoon,

forsythia blooming outside,

restful patterns of light -

I love my porch!

Love Shines Through

A gift, a smile, the love of a friend.

Precious.

Laughter ~ The Best Medicine

Yesterday was a very overcast, rainy day. I knew that I needed to go grocery shopping, so I got myself ready for my least favorite task, preparing myself with reusable grocery totes and a pile of coupons. Before hitting the supermarket, I stopped at a local card store and browsed for Easter cards. People came in and out of the store with wet umbrellas, and the tone was generally quiet and subdued.
Then, from the opposite side of the store came the sound of very loud giggling, which quickly escalated to unchecked chortling and breathless laughter. I could feel my mood brighten and the corners of my mouth turned up, and before I knew it, I was laughing too.
The laughter was coming from two little children who were sitting in a corner on the carpet while their mother shopped. Their laughter was so pure, so silly, it was hard to resist. They were cracking each other up with who-knows-what, but their giggling was rich and continuous, and very sweet.
I loved it.

Laughter is a stress reliever, picker-upper, mood enhancer, spirit lifter, and worry soother.
More than ever, I'm going to notice and hold dear the funny moments in life.

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

                                                                                                     e.e.cummings

The Joy of Yellow

This morning, the first thing I noticed when I looked out the window was how nicely our hedge of forsythia bushes was doing! Spring is just getting started here in New England and the forsythia heralds the new season like nothing else can!

There are also some daffodils in the front garden...

and in the house I found a few more cheerful yellow objects:

I thought about the sun and its warmth, yellow daylilies that bloom during the summer, my bedroom walls when I was a young woman, sunflowers and yellow squash. I remembered fields of sunflowers I once saw in southern France and a yellow plaid dress I had when I was 13. 

I'm glad I noticed the forsythias.

Getting Started

Although I'm not the most consistent blogger, having already created two blogs which I routinely neglect, I felt the urge to start a third blog after reading about Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I had been feeling a bit melancholy lately. Spring is the season when my 89 year old dad started to decline four years ago. He had slipped into dementia and spent the months from January to May going in and out of the hospital and rehab and was not himself at all. It was hard to watch, since he was such an intelligent man and had become quite paranoid, but my mom, then 84, was a tower of strength and managed his care and brought him his favorite home made chicken soup, and her supportive presence every day. Since she didn't drive, I was by her side most of the time.

Then the unimaginable happened. While Dad was in the hospital, doing very poorly, Mom suffered two aneurysms. It seemed like the end of the world. She had surgery, but had lost the sight in one eye, was very weakened and spent almost 2 weeks in the ICU. While she was there, my father died, and she could not be there for his funeral. A few weeks later, while in rehab, my wonderful mother, and best friend, died also. In the course of one month, my brother, sister and I had lost both of our parents.


Yes, I was fortunate to have had my parents for so long, but their deaths, so close together, left me crushed and bewildered. After 4 years, I'm doing much better, concentrating on the happy memories and moving forward with life. But every year, when I feel spring coming, gloomy feelings stir within me. On the one hand, I absolutely love springtime, but on the other, the warmer air and new buds bring a sense of sadness.


SO, I've been looking for ways to boost my mood and be more positive, not only at this time of year, but in general. I've decided that it's up to me to do this for myself, and the purpose of this blog is to document the little moments that often go unnoticed - moments of joy, delight and sweetness that are part of everyday life. I want to raise my consciousness of these moments and make them important. I hope to include sketches, photos and perhaps quotations. Many thanks to Gretchen Rubin for inspiring me. I'm hoping this will be a very uplifting journey, both for me and whoever reads this.