Do You See It?

Stop.  

Put your phone or tablet down.  

Step outside.  

Take a deep breath.  

Now, look around.  

Do you see it?  

Do you see the flowers, the clouds, the green grass, maybe a butterfly or bird flying by?  

Don't miss the beauty that surrounds you, everyday. 

Relax.  

Take it in, and let the stress of life go as you breathe in the simple, yet oh so complex, 
beauty of creation.  

Weekend Challenge

Weekend challenge: Enjoy something of nature this weekend....a walk outside; listen to the birds sing; go sit by a lake, river, stream, or ocean and just be quiet; take in a sunrise and/or sunset; go geocaching; take a bike ride.

While taking in nature, leave your phone and electronic devices alone! Turn them off, don't take them with you. Experience REAL LIFE, not virtual life. 

If you take the challenge, share here what you did.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 3

Day 3 is a place. I am thankful for where I live. Beauty everywhere, mountains, trees, prairie, lakes, sunsets, and four seasons. These pictures are from today.

Don't Take Life For Granted

September Challenge, See the Gifts, Day 12

Today's gift challenge should be a little easier.  Just look around and find your 

3 Gifts of Today

Mine are a harvest of tomatoes early this morning, to put in the freezer for soups and sauces this winter;  spending a couple days off with my husband; and beautiful, warm sunshine. I am enjoying every drop of it we can squeeze out before the cold months creep in.  

September Challenge, See the Gifts of Each Day, Day 3

September 3rd Joy Dare - 3 gifts yellow

What are three gifts in yellow you are thankful for?

Slow Down and See The Beauty

There are many ways to take time to slow down enough to see and appreciate  the wonderful gifts of beauty that surround you each day.  We have to be intentional about taking the time to slow down.  If we don't, our days get away from us and we find ourselves at the end of a day, realizing we didn't really enjoy any part of it.  If this pattern continues because we allow our busy lives to keep us from enjoying life, the beauty of the world slips away from us until we forget to even look for it.  

Slowing down enough to see and appreciate the wonderful gifts of beauty that surround us each day also involves being intentional about looking for it.  It means disconnecting from social media sites long enough to really look around at the world that surrounds us, seeing the small details in a flower petal, a dragonflies wings, or seeing something larger like a sunset or a sunrise, a smiling face, the sparkle in the eyes of a young child.  

Don't let life just pass by.  Take it in.  Find hope in the beauty of creation.  Find hope in the Creator who gave you those gifts.