Finally Snow!

"Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers." - Kahlil Gibran

Snowbirds

"That's the reason a bird can sing -- On his darkest day he believes in spring." - Douglas Malloch

Delafreeze

“Sculpture is an attempt to freeze a moment in time in three dimensions; to connect what already exists in reality to that which exists only in the imagination.” - Hipolito Rocha (Ice Sculptures - Delafreeze 2019)

Epiphany

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” - John Milton

Tonight, I am grateful for this weekend’s unseasonably warm weather, for some very successful bargain hunting, for precious time with family, for the squeaky clean, snoozy pup on my lap, and for continued inspiration.

Early Bird

“La meilleure façon de réaliser ses rêves est de se réveiller. | The best way to make dreams come true is to wake up.” - Valéry

I have always been a morning person. As I get older, I find myself rising earlier and earlier. My alarm goes off at 4:45 every weekday morning so that I can take my time getting ready and be in my office by 6:15. I love that quiet hour before the work day begins when I can catch up on news, make lists, and be creative. Even on weekends, although the venue is different, the routine is nearly the same. I don’t consciously set an alarm, but Miss Piper ensures that her breakfast is served by 5:00 AM! Rather than “sleeping in” on weekends, it feels even more luxurious to enjoy an hour or so reading, sipping coffee, watching the birds outside our window, reflecting on the past week and planning for the next (with a snoozy beagle on my lap, of course). Affording myself the time to ease into the day ultimately increases my productivity.

English educator and theologian, Philip Doddridge surmised that “the difference between rising at five and seven o’clock in the morning for forty years, supposing a [person] to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to [one’s] life.” Imagine the gift of ten extra years — that’s motivation!

Cardinal

(363/365)

“If a cardinal should appear, a loved one came to bring you cheer. A memory, a smile, a tear, a visitor from Heaven’s near.”