Found Treasures

Sometimes life can be very stressful.

Nobody escapes that.

The Fourth of July weekend turned out to be a nice break from stress with a beautiful and spirited parade.

There was also a lovely birthday party for a "firecracker baby" sister whose birthday just happens to fall on July 4th.

 Some challenging situations, such as car breakdowns and questions about  bills, have re-surged and it takes grace and patience to deal with them.

It's my custom to deal with problems for awhile but then take little breaks from them.

Going through a plastic storage tote turned out to be another de-stress er. 

A pair of gold-toned birds, among my very favorite decorations, had been put away last winter.

Unfortunately, I couldn't remember where I put them.

They were given to me by a very dear "forever" friend, Jana, who lives in Georgia. She always finds exquisite presents.

Stress of the day lifted like a fluffy white cloud when I reached into a tote and found the birds!

They have now been placed on a little buffet in the apartment living room and make me happy every time I glance in their direction.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS IN LIFE? 

Remembering Loved Ones with Flowers

 

When a person is young, it's impossible to think of life as fleeting.

As one ages, however, we realize how precious every single minute of life really is.

The years pass quickly.

None of us realize how fast time is passing.

We may or may not have that much time left on earth.

In June, a kind but distant second cousin, died.  

The flowers shown in this post were part of the final church service in her honor.

She was bid goodbye with beautiful blooms.

I hope she received flowers when she was alive, as well.

Final thought for today is don't take time for granted.

Give yourself treats and do things you haven't had a chance to do but want to.  

East some ice cream.  

Switch the air conditioner on for awhile if the rooms are hot, sticky, and stuffy.

Call an old friend.

Send a "thinking of you" greeting card to a friend you haven't see in awhile.

Enjoy every luscious bite of a pancake with real syrup.

Take some time to work on a hobby you really love.

You get the idea. 

Life was not meant to be a time of only suffering and then death.

There are so many beautiful ways to appreciate our time on earth.

Make today count and be good to YOU.

A Most Spectacular Fourth of July Parade

 

A Fourth of July Parade in western Massachusetts is a 200 year tradition.

 

 

It's filled with marching bands, awesome musical offerings, marching groups of hard-working firefighters and police officers, fire engines and floats, representatives of numerous businesses and organizations including the local Berkshire Community College,  gigantic balloon 

 figures, dancers, and on and on.

 

The colorful event takes place every July 4 in the town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

 It's worth driving to that small city just to see the parade every year.

 It is always sure to be a heart-pounding experience.

Groups come from many places, including other states than Massachusetts,  to participate in this extravaganza. 

 Some people among the hundreds of spectators have driven many miles to come to see the patriotic parade goings on.

The photos in this post show you a tiny glimpse into this truly wonderful event. 

The photos were taken for you!

Enjoy!

 The Pittsfield Parade Committee who planned this year's event should be congratulated on all their hard work. 

 The Parade Committee members pulled off another top notch event this year that gave spectators two solid hours of fun, pride, and patriotism most of us have always felt for our beautiful country.

From its beginning, America has been a place that is "the land of the free, and the home of the brave." 

Almost everyone in the USA can be considered an immigrant, with parents, grandparents, and great grandparents from all cultures having come here from other countries so that we could all have better quality lives.

That is what has made this a respected and loved country for so many people. 

DO YOU HAVE A FOURTH OF JULY PARADE WHERE YOU LIVE?  

 It is Independence Day in America.

Our beautiful flag will be flying in every state.

May we never, ever take Democracy for granted.

May we always strive for our freedoms and our beliefs.

May we protest and let our voices be heard when we see something happening that is wrong.

May we fight for justice and for the oppressed.

May we find our greatest treasures, not in our bank accounts, but in our families.

May we honor God for letting us live in this great country.  

ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TODAY TO CELEBRATE?

A Little of This and That

One thing discovered, in the midst of downsizing, is that I am really lousy at getting rid of pretty decorative things.

Glancing around my small apartment, at shelves, table tops, cabinets, and even drawers, makes me realize there are many items that are literally hard to part with.

Take the angel girl, shown at the top of this post,,,,,,,I got her for $9.99 at a thrift store. 

Her wings have since been spiffed up with gold spray paint. She's really quite lovely.

Her hand is up in the air and, almost surely, once held a horn, trumpet, or some other instrument that is now among the missing.

My thoughts when purchasing her were that at yard sales this summer, I'd be on the lookout for a perfect instrument to fit into angel's hand. 

So far, there has not been a shred of luck.

Then there are these darling little glass dollies. 

They are very small.  The biggest one is not even two inches high.

There used to be four of them and I don't know, for the life of me, where the baby went.

Perhaps it's in the bottom of a storage box somewhere, hovered in the corner.  

This little pink bird makes me smile all the time.

She should be in a nest somewhere, but, instead, she's at the base of a framed photo of my late husband. 

These are three of dozens of items around here. 

Some people can pick up an item and toss it but I'm not one of them.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT DECORATIVE ITEMS GO AND WHICH STAY?