I wrote this poem as I thought about those first true warm spring days where the light, and sounds and scents all change and add such an excitement. And I am dreaming of those spring days now and that light, and the sounds and especially the scents. All are gone in winter….replaced by a different canopy.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Spring’s Song. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I leave you with a few additional words about I Wonder. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Another epistolary poem, in the series I am writing, from a letter I wrote in April of 2016. This poem was written on a morning of brilliance as the sun rose. I hope to post one of these a month. I will be taking time off for the rest of December….enjoy your holidays and I will see you around the New Year.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear Sky. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Do you talk to the bees? Well I do. I wish them a good morning, with the sun’s first rays. And as I do, I give a wide berth to these buzzing teenagers, slow to wake. They can be ornery, you see. And if aroused, you might feel the sting of their wrath if they are still trying to sleep on their flowery beds. They require a soft voice, and gentle touch. Needing time to stretch their wings and get their bearings, they drink in the moment. They linger over their first sip of nectar or sniff of silky pollen passion. But once tasted, they move from plant to plant leaving their mark. Letting all know, “I have been here”.
I love to go into my garden and start the day by watching the bees sleeping on flowers. And I talk with them as they are just beginning to wake. Thanking them for being part of my garden sanctuary, and pollinating the flowers bringing us abundance. They remind me to savor the beginning of the day, and live in the moment.
The pictures here are of those spring bees that wake early in the garden season, and do their spring dance bringing me indescribable joy. This haibun poem is in honor of these precious bees, who are under assault from chemical warfare.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about talking to the bees. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem was also written in late fall 2011. As the seasons change, I observe the subtle and not so subtle shifts in nature. Winter has some of the most stunning and colorful sunsets and sunrises. The pictures here are of the sunset seen from my garden as autumn shifted to winter.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedand Gillena@Versesfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
I leave you with a few additional words about the fire in the sky. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Each season, I track the sun light rising from spring to summer to fall….and then to the dark of the Winter Solstice. And as winter begins, I know the light will be returning bit by bit, day by day as we get closer to spring and the garden season again.
December 1st started my Seasonal Celebrations meme for the change of seasons. Check out my post at Gardens Eye View, and join in the celebration of the change of seasons, no matter where you are on earth. You can also read an excerpt of my Winter story in the latest issue of RURAL magazine.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
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Special Note:The pictures here are of a recent December sunrise in the garden. It started with a orange light against the almost black clouds. The last picture is of the sunrise in the meadow.
I leave you with a few additional words about the change in the morning light. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”~Ruth Stout
Winter is a much maligned season…..yes you heard me correctly. When we say winter is coming, you don’t hear a joyful cheer rise up from the masses, especially if you live where there is snow. No instead there are groans and grumbles.
It is cold. The landscape looks brown or drab or worse covered in white for months on end. Outdoor activities are limited. And worst of all, it is dark and gray. Especially dark….we rise in the dark, go to work in the dark, and watch the sunset before we return home from work. We are eating in the dark, and if your internal clock is like mine, you want to go to bed by 7pm. Not a bright prospect for a season.
So I decided a few years back that I had to stop grumbling and complaining about winter. Instead I needed to find the good in winter…the gifts it brings us. And once found, I needed to embrace these gifts, and believe in the wonders winter can bring. And I do mean believe, for as we know our perceptions about something can color it either positive or negative.
I believe it is time to give winter the credit it is due. To bring winter out of the darkness, and into a more beautiful light. And I want to share winter’s gifts with you now, as the season approaches.
So what are these gifts, you ask? Take a look……
Winter isn’t actually such a dark season. November and December are the 2 darkest months, and they come at the end of autumn. As winter starts on the solstice, we mark the darkest day and celebrate the coming back of the light. Each day we gain sunlight and the days brighten and shine.
And that’s another gift of winter, some of the most spectacular bright, clear blue skies. Watching the sun rise low is especially wonderful, as it casts unusual shadows on the canvas of white.
Then there are the sunrises that take your breath away. Yes this is an actual winter sunrise of pastel colors with that heart cloud.
And on the days when the skies are a dark gunmetal gray, and they open up with a fury, we see another glorious scene. One of magic where the whole world is swallowed whole in white. I watch each snowfall as each is different depending on the temperature. And that snow can create such unique scenes.
While the landscape may not be filled with green and flowers, there is a quiet beauty you will miss if you don’t look for it….really look for it.
A brown drab garden brought back to life with the magic of the snow and the winter light. One light show I look forward to every morning as the scene is always spectacular. Reaching deep into my soul, scenes like this make my heart sing.
And then there are the visitors who add their own light to winter. Here a pair of bluebirds find shelter and shop for a spring home.
Watching nature is another wonderful gift of winter. Now that the trees and landscape are bare, we can see the birds more clearly. And see the beauty of other critters, like this fox in its thick coat.
So while winter may keep us indoors more, and may start off as the darkest season, we can take advantage of the gifts of winter even from the warmth and safety of our homes. By changing your perspective you can observe a stunning world just outside your window.
Oh and there are other things you can do during winter as you begin to embrace the gifts it bestows on us. Consider exploring one of the following:
Grow herbs on a windowsill to use all winter so you can still have some of summer’s fresh flavor.
Bring in a potted geranium or coleus and watch it bloom all winter.
Give yourself a challenge and read more. Catch up on those books you have been meaning to read.
Take walks and look at the beauty of winter from a different viewpoint. Maybe even build a snowman or make a snow angel.
Take up snowshoeing or another winter sport, and see the winter scene’s in a new spot.
If you are crafty you can work on projects or delve more into other creative artsy endeavors.
Clutter clear your house slowly and create more space for joy and abundance.
Cook more yummy soups, stews and comfort foods.
The list is endless….So take some time this winter and explore all the gifts winter holds.
As the solstice approaches and we ponder winter’s gifts, I hope you join me on November 30th on my garden blog, Gardens Eye View, for my quarterly meme, Seasonal Celebrations.
What do you think are winter’s greatest gifts? What are your favorite things to do in winter?
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Special Note:The pictures here are of winter scenes from my garden over the years.
Please join me on November 19th, for the next issue of the newly published on-line magazine, Rural. I will have an excerpt of this post in the new issue.
The magazine is the creation of Jen@ The Light Laughed. Many of you may know Jen already from her new blog or from her days writing at her old blog Muddy Boot Dreams. I recently did an interview with Jen which was quite a treat for me.
I hope you will check out the last issue of this free online magazine. You can sign up to read the new issue of Rural here.
I leave you with a bit more sentiment about winter’s gifts. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-15. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
~Jim Bishop
The morning of the full moon in September, the sun promised to rise in a glorious fashion. The last bright star still glowed as the sun peeked over the horizon. So I went out into the garden to see the sunrise from different vantage points.
It was such a magnificent experience to bask in the first rays of light…..
…..with the colors expanding across the sky!
Yes the inset is a later close-up.
I spent quite a bit of time near the back fence watching the sunrise over the meadow.
I shifted to capture the pergola in the sunrise. I thought it would be a great backdrop.
As would the grasses waving to greet the day.
Then watching the sun setting later in the day, I saw the glory of the fall foliage on fire in the golden light of the setting sun.
I am also linking in with the I Heart Macro meme hosted by Laura@Shine The Divinethat happens every Saturday, and with Kara@A Spirit of Simplicity for Tuesday Afternoonwhere we are invited to celebrate a nice slow day in a busy week.
I leave you with a bit more sentiment about creativity and joy. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-15. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
“Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing moment of birth. And more than anything it can spur you to action. Have a burning day.”
~ Vera Nazarian
I never really paid attention to the dawn until about 6 years ago. It was then that I was commuting an hour each way to work…traveling east in the morning and west in the late afternoon. It wasn’t a job I was particularly excited about, but one that would get me to retirement as there were so many lay offs, and I was 3 years away from retirement.
And each morning, usually at the crack of dawn, I would travel east many times dreading the day, the tedious work. I was very good at my job, but it did not allow me to use many of my skills or creativity. And as I traveled that long stretch of highway, I knew there were many who traveled with me that were in the same boat. Not excited about the early morning, long commute to a job that was not their ideal.
But each morning as the sun rose with me in my travels, there was something magical about the day. Something that would awaken inside of me. An incredible spirit that lifted me through my day. I only wished I could linger longer with the sunrise, capture it and just be with it in silence.
So when I retired, I vowed to watch the sunrise on as many mornings as possible. Go to the windows facing east and wait for it…..with anticipation and excitement much like a child experiencing the wonders of seeing a baby bunny or a fawn walking into the meadow for the first time. And that wide-eyed wonder has not faded, as I watch sunrise after sunrise. On those mornings, when the sky has blessed me with its incredible magic, I take my camera outside (even in the 20 degrees below zero weather), and snap picture after picture as the sun slowly kisses the horizon and hugs the sky just for me! I want to wake the whole world, and share the new day shouting, “You’re missing it”.
And my first thoughts, in the first rays of daylight, are of thankfulness with a mouth stretching smile…and yes many times tears of joy for this blessed morning. There is a peace that descends on the world in these first moments of the morning. You can hear the joy from the birds, and watch other animals come out to greet the sun too.
This is the time of my deepest reflection. It is when I am alone with my day…when I descend into myself and contemplate my life and all I have. It is when I let go, and just revel in the moment. It is the best time for me to meditate too. A practice that has become part of me, much like the dawn.
On these inspired mornings, as my little corner of the world is waking, I feel energized and renewed. A new day, a new time….a beginning that holds a promise born in the sky…ablaze in my eyes, my heart and my mind. A gentle kiss from the Universe welcoming me again to be here in this moment of joy.
Do you greet the dawn? Does something in nature inspire you?
Special Note: The pictures here are from sunrises over the past 3 years, and they represent each month. I find the dawn in late spring and early fall are far less colorful, but the sun blazes brighter those days.
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I leave you with more thoughts about morning inspiration. Feel free to download this photo and share.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem as part of a challenge to create a gratitude prayer. I had forgotten about this poem until I recently found it tucked inside some papers I was going through as I cleared mounds of clutter that had accumulated for 10 years.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
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Special Note: The sunrisephotospictured in this post, came from a recent sunrise this winter. They show the progression of the sunrise, starting with the small circle on the left and going in a clockwise direction. This beauty of this sunrise lasted 15 minutes.
The first picture is a view from my porch looking past the rain chain, which hangs from the porch roof, into the colors of this new day.
I leave you with a few words of the gratitude prayer for this new day. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem was created as we were SOARing through the sky at 35,000 feet. I am always mesmerized by the clouds from high in the sky as well as when the sunrises. Actually I find the sky paints the clouds best during sunrise.
And given that my new word for the year is SOAR, this poem is the perfect complement. You can read about my word of the year as it will be my guiding force this new year!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs. I hope to more overtly spread some blog love through both my blogs in the future.
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Special Note: The pictures here are from recent sunrises where I watched the sun paint the clouds and sky.
I leave you with a little bit of sentiment aboutclouds and light. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.