Wonder

According the the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition for Wonder is 

"1. a cause for astonishment

2. the quality of exciting amazed admiration

3. rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience"

And this is exactly what I felt when I saw this beautiful flower pop up in my garden.

It's called a fritllaria meleagris, or Scarlet Bells

I call it a fairy skirt!

The geometric pattern just baffles my mind!

What a flashy show for such a small delicate flower. 

My reward for looking close. It speaks to my absolute conviction that ...

"Joy finds wonder everywhere!" ~ anonymous

Let's keep looking together :-)

True Friends

Now I have a Clean house and a full Heart!

A couple ingredients of Joy I discovered yesterday is flexibility and openness. And most importantly that true friendship is one of the Greatest Joys of all. We relocated about a year and a half ago, so while I have been orienting to my "new" life here in the Beautiful Northwest, I have had a lot of time to think about what true friendship is all about.

Some times it's hard to know how much someone means to you until you have not seen them for awhile. Amazing how restorative it to be with someone you can just relax into being with.

"True friendship is felt, not said" - Mariecris Madayag

So true. I was left last night with the realization that true friends give YOU back to yourself. And the alchemy and synergy really happens when we can do that for each other. This is one of the deepest gifts of all. I am so glad you came to visit Jim. It was a gift to be with you.

photo courtesy of Moncia Hansen

Lots of times when I am working in my studio I am flooded with thoughts of all the people that live in my Heart.

photo courtesy of Monica Hansen

Here is a picture of the Button I attribute to my longest, dearest friend Sheila. Her friendship means the world to me. She is a gift to my Heart and an Angel in my Life. When I thinking about the meaning of true friends last night, I found this quotation that made me think of Sheila. 

"A true friend is  some one that knows the song of your soul, and sings it back to you when you have forgotten the words" -Anonymous

I am honored to say, we get to do this for each other.