Treasure Your Friends

 

A lot has been written about the importance of having friends in one's life.

Friends really are treasures.

They add to our joy and life experiences.

There are all kind of friends.

Some are more like sisters while with others, we maintain a more casual relationship. Both are important.

Cousins can be special friends and so can blog followers. I truly treasure and appreciate both!

Many years ago, a cousin gave the doll figure shown in this post.

It's actually a draft blocker that one can put on a window sill or at the bottom of a doorway.

The little friendly blocker has been packed away in storage for the past three years and was recently unearthed.

She made the cut to not be placed in the charity bin.

I'm glad because she makes me smile every time I look at her.  

The cousin who gifted her to me is still very precious, too.

Many thanks to all of you who are my friends.  You make life better!

Remembering Mothers

Guess what?

My very first Mother's Day card has been received!

Shown above, its bright, colorful, and very much appreciated.

It's from a dear cousin who loves greeting cards as much as I do and that's saying something.

Mother's Day, of course, is Sunday, May 10th.

A sister also left a beautiful hanging plant outside my door. 

It's actually three plants in one----begonia, impatiens, and delicate Jack Frost.

Because nights here are still chilly, I've taken the plant inside and replaced it on a wrought iron hook outside in the morning.

Today, however, since rain is predicted, I told the little plant she would be kept inside today so she won't catch a chill.

So many Mother's Days have passed in my own life. 

First, they celebrated my own mother and Godmother. 

Then, I became a mother myself and got to share in the joy of being remembered.

Whenever I think of my own mother, who went to the other side of life 20 years ago, it usually makes me cry.

Even after all these years, I still miss her.

That's not to say we didn't have our ups and downs.  We did.

However, she gave me life and did the best she could with what she had and that counts immensely in my book.

She taught me so many lessons.

She never stopped loving me or my four sisters throughout her life on earth.

Being a mother is the among the hardest jobs there is but is also the most rewarding.

COULD YOU SHARE ONE VALUABLE THING YOUR MOTHER TAUGHT YOU?

The Merry and Beautiful Month of May

May is a delightful month.

Even though temperatures are still a bit chilly, at the beginning of the month, they promise to get warmer as the days go by.

There are trees and bushes that are covered with hundreds of tiny green buds, ready to burst open, and some that are already in full bloom.                                                                                            

The intense beauty they bring is nothing short of amazing.                                         

There are blooming trees even near supermarket parking lots.            

You know what seeing such loveliness does?   It makes me whip out my cell phone camera, roll down the car window, and snap photos for this blog.

In the late afternoon, after getting home, brilliant sun pours into the apartment through an open door and it's so comforting.

ZZ plant gets moved into the sun daily, appears to love it, and so do I!

A Blooming Surprise

 

Surprises are wonderful.

After a kind of stressful afternoon on Sunday, I received a message from one of my sisters that she left a Mother's Day gift for me at my apartment.

It was actually sweet looking forward to going home!

As the car drove in front of my humble abode, I spotted an absolutely gorgeous hanging plant on the ground near the front door.

Deep pink flowers could be seen from a distance.

There are actually three flowers in the pot----begonias, impatiens, and a tiny blossomed white plant.

It's truly beautiful and I am so immensely grateful to my sister for thinking of me in such a cherished way.

Loving Lambie

A couple of years ago, while shopping for a gift, the wooden block of art shown in today's post came to my attention.

One of my sisters loves sheep so this turned out to be a perfect mini-gift for her.

I loved it so much that the decision was made to buy one for me, too!

It's a comforting image.  

The bigger animal is a symbol of love and security for the little lamb.

It definitely made me think of the Heavenly Father with one of His "little lambs" down here on the earth.

He protects. He loves profoundly. He cares for every sheep and lamb in the flock, especially the lost and lonely.

The art piece currently sits on the end of a bedroom dresser where it reminds me every day where to go for peace and protection