Dear Reader:

Yesterday I was giving the B&B side a little dusting and straightening up before Brooke arrives tomorrow afternoon. She is going to spend the night with me and take me to my early optical surgery to remove the right eye cataract.

The reasoning for having subliminal message placed in popular viewing locations  is to help me pause and look at different daily incidents with a broader outlook and attitude. These wooden plaques and posters are just little reminders not to stray too far off my purpose in life.

It is true that some days are more challenging than others, but even on the most difficult days we can still find something good that happened.

Case in point: Mother’s funeral. It was sad, no doubt, my mother had lived next to us on the B&B side for years and it was going to be lonely without her. But then so many people came to her funeral that I never knew and they all remembered her as someone who rose above her physical challenges to change the world. She encouraged others to climb higher because she had done it, in spite of losing her left hand to bone cancer and raising three small children alone, after being widowed in her early thirties.

Like the old spiritual says: “Lord, show me the way.” Mother did just that for so many people who were fortunate enough to come into contact with her during their journey through life. She showed others the way to live through  faith.

Come with me and let me show you my other sayings that are “strategically” placed both on my side and the B&B side so that I can pause and consider the deeper messages within.

Next to the stove, on the other side, I put up different cloth “flag” sayings over the kitchen window in place of a  curtain.

Here are three samples of what they say:

“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful”

“What’s meant to be will always find its way”

“May you trust God that you are exactly what you are meant to be”

Every morning I wake up to this driftwood cross on the wall opposite my bed and then as I walk down the hall…I am reminded of this truth.

My “Boo” computer room/door poster reminds me to fully appreciate the blessings of my garden sanctuary and to share ideas and suggestions with others.

Even on my door handles I like to have reminders of the serene secrets of life.

Perhaps the stick-on poster on the fridge on the B&B side says it best…a reminder that we live in a beautiful world created for us by our Creator God.

There are still many more posters and plaques inside and out in the garden but, truthfully, I am pretty tired and will examine some more at a later blog. I must have experienced sympathy sleeplessness Sunday night for our teachers because I tossed and turned most of it.

That is why I was late ( after nine) getting Eva Cate’s and Jakie’s back- to- school photo posted uesterday. It was so cute and as predicted…it brought tears.

My Ya friend, Libby,  has five grandchildren….got me beat so far…and sent all their adorable photos too.

Libby’s daughter…Betsy’s two precious daughters….Rebecca (first grade) and Hailey fourth grade! Looking good girls!

 Two of Libby’s son (Robby) oldest boys (Charlie and Trey-3rd and 4th grade)…the youngest (Rhett) still in pre-school is staying with his Nana until his school starts Wednesday.

I wish I could do a huge collage of all the children of the world going to school….it is such an important freedom;  such a priceless gift we are given in our country that other countries don’t have. One freedom we should never let falter.

So until tomorrow…Plant reminders of the joy of living like Johnny Appleseed scattering his seeds wherever he went. Whatever objects, inanimate or alive, make you happy….keep them close by for the more difficult days of life.

*Little did I know when I had a Winnie the Pooh raincoat framed for posterity (all three children wore it) that Winnie would play a constant role in my blogging.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh.

These beautiful pure white morning glories are appearing in more abundance each day….Anne reminded me that we saw them in whites and pastels as wildflowers in Ireland. They start my day the right way.