The weather is finally starting to feel like Spring might possibly, maybe, hopefully be springing. To celebrate I thought I’d share some spring color from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. May your spring be just as bright and beautiful! Be blessed!!
Public Library of Cincinnati
Cincinnati Zoo
Krohn Conservatory
P&G Gardens
And just so I don’t forget some other fun colors – here’s one more:
Cincinnati Reds
Gray days are rarely anyone’s favorite. But to me, well I just don’t mind them. The thunder and lightning that crashed on the scene this morning have passed on. It was intense but short-lived. The spring rains that are lingering will bring lushness to the already blooming and growing flowers and bushes. It will also help anchor my newly planted dogwood tree and these are all good things.
Now it’s a little chilly, the skies are grey, and the air is drippy. By contrast, home feels extra cozy. I’ve lit a few candles to infuse the air with both a light floral scent to bring spring inside, as well as a soft glow to soften the darkness in the air. Sitting on the couch watching fluffy puppy lounge on the faux fur blanket lends an atmosphere of comfy quietude. There’s nowhere I have to be. There’s nothing that must be done today. I can putz around as I choose with no deadline and no pressure. Now that my kids are grown and off running here and there with their own jobs and interests, the days are now my own.
These are the type of days that allow my day dreams to shine a little brighter. I feel no guilt for just sitting here at the computer and catching up on blogs and Facebook postings. I can shop by internet and just admire the pretty things, neither wasting gas nor actually spending money. I have time to take a walk down memory lane and enjoy the thoughts of my friends and loved ones. I can peacefully meditate and pray with no sense of hurry. I can send love and peace to all that cross my mind. To me, gray days are slow days. They can provide a powerful positive effect sometimes, when we look for what it allows us to do just by slowing down. The slower pace is a much-needed respite in the hustle and bustle of life. I am liking this gray day.
What’s your favorite thing to do on gray days?
Be blessed!
Once a year I get a little whiff of heaven. You see, while I enjoy all the flowers, bushes, and trees that go on colorful parade in the Spring, I have one favorite. The lilac – she is a delicate beauty that fills the air with a heady sweetness delighting my senses. From the wide range of pinks, whites, lavenders, and purples I bask in the beauty of her gown. With her fragrance I am blessed with sweet memories of both my Grandpas, who had lilacs in their yards. It also brings back sentimental moments, sitting with my kids on the swing in the yard. In those moments I enjoyed both the fragrance of lilac’s sweet perfume and the music of my children’s voices as they shared their day and their confidences with me. Both such fleeting, precious treasures. It is a breath of heaven that is a treat which lingers in the air for such a brief time that it leaves me longing for more.
This is the week my lilacs are in full bloom and I’m delighted to be off work for a few days. It gives me the opportunity to smell them all through my house, and even in my dreaming hours. It is the small blessings that make each day a treat.
Here’s a picture of a bouquet on my bedroom dresser that lulls me to sleep and wakes me with the first breeze of my morning. Enjoy my favorite and be blessed!
This has been an unusually early spring for us. As I walk my dog Gracie I am delighted to notice the smells of the season. With the tulip trees, red buds, and forsythia blooming, the air smells like a freshly stocked floral store. Neighbors are cutting grass for the first time creating a backdrop of the sounds of warmth. The mere drinking in of the spring essence stirs renewal in my soul.
It is much the same way when we indulge our soul in self-examination and notice that the darkness and sadness have cleared a way. With the coming of spring and new life, let us blow away that which no longer serves us so we can create a fresh path for our year. Bloom and be blessed!
“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24
There’s something magical about seeing the sunshine bouncing off the crystal snow-covered world. The combination of ice and hot existing at the same time is a mesmerizing dichotomy. We’ve had such a mild winter this year with nothing but a dusting on a couple of occasions. And while enjoying spring like days is physically enjoyable, the absence of the snow has left some of us missing the ethereal beauty that happens each year when white covers the world with a sense of cleansing.
So today we don’t have a deep covering but when I look out my window and see the blanket of white that is only disturbed by a random footprint of a deer I feel a sense of relief. This is why I know I will always live in a place that experiences all four seasons. The ebb and flow of change is good for my heart and soul.
Enjoy these pictures of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and be blessed!
Spring:
Summer:
Fall:
Winter:
There is something about spring that makes me want to plant things. I can’t explain it as I am not one for gardening or tending the yard at any other time of year. I usually think nature is a wonderous thing as long as I just have to “look” at it. But transformational seasons of Fall (my favorite) and Spring are just, well … different. Spring’s air still has a crisp feel to it when the wind gets wipping up. I love that because it brings the sent of lilacs rushing at me. The tiny leaves and buds and flowering trees give me a sense of hope and wonder. One would think I would have outgrown such emotions as I’m not a “spring chicken” contemplating the world. But I am definitely a spring fan!
So, I sit and swing; plot and plan; shop and dig and bask in the possibilities of Spring.
Be blessed!
Mighty Inspiration 