A positive update shined through as my scans were good. I don’t have any damage in my liver and we can focus on stopping the disease. It is a relief to know that it was caught in time. Blessings all around this week and some time to relax. It is nice when you find moments in your life to breathe and pause. Life is full of bumps and pot holes. How we handle the drive becomes the journey. I will know more about the bloodwork as the days progress but not spending energy there. I feel the Dr. would have told me if we needed to worry so I have to let it be. I start patching the holes in the road and resting when tired.
For a late Sunday reflection ( oops late again – might have to change it to Monday but trying to stick with it), I find the time to listen to the music of the outdoors. The insects, the birds to the croaking of the frogs who sing sweet melodies to me if I take the time to listen. It is important that we slow down and listen to other’s songs and not live just within our own music. We each have a song to tell but together the world comes together to make the symphony. The Carolina Wren sings to my dad loud enough so that he pays attention each morning calling out asking her about her story. What is the story of life? I stop to listen to the soft sounds of the woods as I walk by the explosion of color this morning
This week I am visiting my parents in Virginia with my sister away from the backyard. I will not be posting much but it is the first visit with them in 2 years due to COVID. I miss the cheer team and the backyard animals but will be back with them soon – planning projects and working on wonderful ways to continue getting stronger. Lou had rock delivered and the garden paths will soon come alive. He has painted and added concrete countertops outside. His work is truly amazing and definitely sings to us all. Listen below to hear the buzz of the bumblebee hard at work. Lou is definitely a worker bee.
As I spend this time deep in the country of VA on the Rappahannock River where I grew up as child, I find my soul becoming quiet and slowing down. I thought for this week that a post or two about the area would be fun as I explore nature. I started a nature journal to reflect and help me focus on just being. It is nice to stop and jot down the date, the weather and what is around me. It helps me to slow down – focus on being present – not the disease – not the stress of returning to work instead being here in nature. It is a gift to be able to spend time listening and I pray everyone will take a moment this week to listen to the sounds around you. You never know what the sounds might be telling you or what magic is ahead. The next recording is my walk around the pond. Listen as I stop walking and how much life can be heard. I added some more pics of the area for fun.
As I finish the day, I try to remind myself that life is a long album – not one done in a day or even a year. One that we enjoy but one that also involves struggles – time to support others and time to find new paths even covered with bunnies and fireflies. Go through life listening to the songs being sung around so you can hear it all – the good and the bad. I sometimes find that life is so hectic that I don’t pause and reflect. Stop – take a second to give yourself a break from your own song that at times screams so loudly in your head that you miss the songs around you.
Stop! Enjoy the sounds all around you that beckon you to listen to your inner soul. A world calling you to be present and live in the moment.
Bitsy's Backyard 