Friday 3 April 2009

Reflections.......

For me, moments of stillness and solitude are essential for healing and recharging my batteries......
Our busy lives mean that we often neglect ourselves........

Just as our bodies require food, physical activity........


and sleep to nurture and develope them, so our spirit requires 'quiet time'.
So this weekend, is a time to be still.......reflect and enjoy my garden........

I shall sit with the birds.....bees .......and butterflies........and yes, I will take time to smell the flowers....
'Be still and silent and let the soul be a steady light which burns in a shelter where no winds blow'.
Anne Morrow.







37 comments:

Jo-Ann said...

Oh, I love that little butterfly!! Thank you for sharing!

NCmountainwoman said...

Anne Morrow is one of my favorite women. And the quote is perfect for the lovely pictures. Great advice you have given us today.

Cheryl said...

Hi Jo-Ann....Glad you enjoyed the Orange Tip....he is certainly a beautiful butterfly......

Meems said...

Cheryl,
Very lovely photos today. We are of the same mind, Cheryl.There is nothing that nurtures my overall well-being like just "being" in the garden. It is why we create such heavenly places I think... we are drawn to aspects of nature because (I believe)God put that instinctly in our being. No wonder life started out in a garden!

Enjoy your weekend and breathe in every reflective moment of stillness and solitude with the birds, bees, and butterflies!
Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

Gail said...

Cheryl, This is exactly why I love to visit...you remind me to stop, breathe deeply and be in the now! Let me do that now, and slow my breathing and be here to to enjoy the loveliness of the day....even cold and rainy, it is lovely. Have a sweet weekend in your garden, warmest thoughts, gail

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Yes, we need time to reflect, regroup, recharge... and love the brown/yellow primrose!

Rusty in Miami said...

Excellent idea, I have a rule in my garden. NO CELL phones allow

Cheryl said...

Hi ncmountainwoman.......I enjoy Anne Morrow enormously.....we have something in common.....

Enjoy your weekend.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Meems.......your comments are so true and so wise.....enjoy your garden to, may you find much peace amongst the blooms......

Cheryl said...

Dear Gail...always a pleasure to read your comment.......and if my blog gives one person pleasure, then it is worth it....

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope the sun peeks out from behind the clouds.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Monica.....I love the gold, brown primrose...for the life of me I cannot remember its name....I think it is gold lace....but don't quote me on that......

Cheryl said...

Hi Rusty....I am with you on that.......there is a time and place for them.......

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Hi Cheryl,

Love this post. The shrub with the dangling bloom in your pictures is also blooming in my garden. I forget what it is called. Anyway... I was so excited about your Orange-tip that I did a colored pencil drawing of it and posted it on my Artsy blog. You might want to take a look.

I hope you get all rested and recharged this weekend.

marmee said...

coming here dearest cheryl, is always a breath of fresh air. i love the you need solitude and stillness too. i so need these things to be refreshed. i love all the blooms you are having right now, sometimes it seems like another world where you are.

Cheryl said...

Ooh Lisa......I shall pop over straight away and take a look....how exciting.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Marmee....I find that to..... travelling around blogland brings beautiful blooms and gardens into my sitting room......things that I would never have seen...

and your garden is one that I love.......

SweetAnnee said...

Oh cheryl..I love your "Checkered Lillies"
I am very patient, I'll get some hummer
pics and you can enjoy mine.. I am either
putting the feeders out tomorrow or next
Saturday..

they come usually the last of April..but I don't
want to miss my guy..as he looks for a home.

smiles, Deena

ShySongbird said...

Hi Cheryl,
A very serene and peaceful post with photos to match!
I have always loved solitude and quiet moments of 'just being' and would find life difficult without those moments, I recognise that in you.
Have a lovely peaceful weekend.

Brenda Pruitt said...

I agree totally!
Brenda

Wendy said...

For some reason, I was thinking about you this evening, as I stepped out my back door (wearing rainboots) to step carefully through the wet grass and last bits of snow to the back of my yard where the garden shed sits. I had to shut the shed door, which had blown open with the wind. I was thinking about how hard you must work in your garden. Not that you don't enjoy it, but there is a lot to do. And it sounds like you have a big property.

I was thinking, if I were you, I might just stop to have a rest this weekend. And a couple of hours later, I read your post.

Resting the body, mind and soul; recharging our batteries (such a queer expression, but one that we use constantly); and taking the time for quiet moments for reflection....

Enjoy your weekend. I've enjoyed your pics. Thank you for sharing.
Hugs

Cheryl said...

Dear sweet annee.....thank you....I look forward to seeing the first hummingbirds....such an exciting moment....they are such delightful birds......

Cheryl said...

Hi ShySongbird.....even as a small child I would take myself away from the crowd, and go sit amongst the flowers or watch the birds. I think it is born in us.....my little granddaughter Poppi is exactly the same........

Cheryl said...

Dear Wendy......thank you for thinking of me, it is always good to know that someone cares.

I manage quite well really, but of course, the work is ongoing here. I spend at least three or four hours in the garden each day......planting, weeding, cutting back etc......physical tiredness is not a problem for me....it is mental tiredness (and I know you will understand that)
Worry of parents etc.....sometimes you just need to be, to let yourself free for a little while. This weekend is one of those times......

Have a good weekend.....

Dawn said...

Love the little bird that seems to be looking right at the camera. Hope you enjoy your reflections this weekend. It's good to be reminded to be still inside and get in touch with the goodness all around us. Cheers!

Rose said...

So true, Cheryl. And the garden is the perfect place to nourish the soul.

I am enjoying the sights of Arizona, but will also be happy to see how my garden has changed in my absence.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Betty Jo said...

Cheryl your photos are always beautiful and always peaceful. You make me feel as though I am there, rather than here. ♥

beckie said...

Cheryl, as always your garden has provided me with a chance to collect myself and enjoy a bit of peace and beauty. Thank you for that. :) Things are not well here-but I will go into that later. Hope your weekend is lovelyand restful.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

What lovely blossoms, and what a sassy little fellow looking like you were intruding into his territory! I enjoyed the quote from Anne Morrow...her book, Gifts From The Sea is one of my favorites. I have been feeling the need to slow down and rest in the garden, but sometimes it seems life refuses to let me...this seems to be one of those times. I try during the day just to stop and breathe, but to sit and watch and be still would be heaven...your blog allows me to do that for just a moment. Thank you.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Have a lovely weekend doing one of the most rewarding activities you could do in life.

Cindy

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
Sometimes I too must listen to my still small voice. I must lay the camera down and my gardening tools and just be with the trees or the birds or the bugs...I am happy you are taking the time to do just that. It is also the way my soul is fed.
Thank you for sharing your flowers...the primroses are lovely as are the daffodils...
It is raining again at my house. The north wind is blowing and it is cold. A good time to be still and listen to the rain.
Beautiful post.
Thank you.
Sherry

Libby said...

Maybe this is what should do! Although I'm not sure I can ever sit still, although I do enjoying the sound of silence and the birds!!

Pat said...

Stillness and solitude will have to wait till our vacation in a few weeks unless I can get a few moments before then.
That would be sooo sweet.

Cheryl said...

Dear Rose....I do hope that your gardens are a wonderful surprise....blooming and full of birds and butterflies.....meanwhile have fun in sunny Arizona.....

Cheryl said...

Dear Beckie.....I do hope that you are okay. Your comment worried me a little.....I will be in touch.....

Cheryl said...

Dear morning glories.....I do hope that you find some peace to nourish your soul. You sound as though life may be difficult at this time. I have found to just sit sometimes and close my eyes and breath deeply can be so calming.

I am glad the post gave you time to rest ......I shall think of you when I am in my gardens and send you positive thoughts.......

Cheryl said...

Dear Sherry....it was Mr P's birthday weekend....we decided a quiet time would be ideal....it is something we both needed.....

Sometimes, I have a deep need to be in touch with the garden and the wildlife in it. To sit amongst the flowers and birdsong it healing for me....it gives me strength to start another day.

We have had a lovely warm weekend......although a sharp frost last night was not good....

Hope you found time to connect with your gardens......

Tami said...

Absolutely gorgeous pictures!

Have a beautiful week!!
T