What a Curse!!!

I love nature. There are just so many beautiful things around us, at every turn we make. Sometimes, it's obvious; sometimes, we just need to take a little effort and look for them. But, oftentimes, we just ignore them.

Our lives are usually so busy. We are often so preoccupied with worries, stress, work, etc., that all we can do is to take a ride on a continuous train of routines. And if we're lucky enough, once in a while, we can take a second to inhale a little fresh air or let out a heavy sigh.

I myself work very hard, sometimes not by choice. From the time I get into the office at 8:30am until, most of the time, 6:30pm, I usually work straight with only a ten minute break for lunch. One of the things that keep me going are the little kids that come into the clinic. They are usually so adorable. And when they hug me or get excited when I come into the room, my fatigue just melts away.

At home, I usually just like to be a couch potato, watching re-runs. But, my house has a huge yard, more than two acres. And I want a nice yard. Therefore, I have to spend a lot of time to make it beautiful. I have tried a number of landscapers to help me, but they have all been very irresponsible. They didn't care. They always messed up one thing or another. And if I have to show them every step of the way, I might as well do it myself. So, my mom and I have planted ourselves a lot of plants and flowers throughout last year and so far this year. The yard starts to look nice now, but we still have a lot to do. My goal is to finish it by this fall. I want my yard to have flowers at all times. But I want most of them to be perenials so that I won't have to re-plant anything next year.

I love flowers, flowers in the garden that is. The colors just bring life and energy to the surroundings. They remind me of the positive things in lives. They encourage me to be positive as much as possible. They give me hope. They encourage me to make the best of every situation...at least, most of the time.

They remind me to take an effort to look for the beautiful things God gives us in our lives. These pictures were taken in our garden. At first glance, I could only see the bare trees. But when I looked more carefully, there were the birds. How beautiful! In the cold winter, such tiny creatures can bring us joy. Look at the purple flowers. If you walk in the garden, you probably won't even notice that they are there because they are actually very tiny. But, when you take the effort to bend down and appreciate them, they are as beautiful as the larger iris. Size does not always matter. How about the yellow flowers with the greenish buds and red stems. They don't bloom often, but
when they come out, they are magnificent. They are tropical flowers. They don't fit in in this climate, but they are confident and proud. Then, there are the Canada geese that occupy the
pond behind my house. They are animals. I'm not sure how much they can think, but they are

loyal. They are monogamous. That's nature beauty, isn't it?

There are so many beautiful things around us. I think we should take advantage of them to make our lives happier. I think we should take the postitive things in our lives to help ourselves be happier. I think we should think more positively in regard to every situation we face in our daily lives to enable us to be more at peace with our lives. I think we should inhale the positives of life and exhale the negatives of life.

Life is already so difficult. Being negative won't help. Of course, it's easier said than done. But, we need to try.

Beauty is there if we appreciate it. Happiness is there if we look for it. Comfort is there if we seek it. Loyalty is there if we treasure it. Sorrow will also be there if we dwell on it.

With that said, it looks like I'm going to have to spend the rest of the hot, humid summer working in the garden.

What a curse!!!

:)