Dear Reader:

A few months ago I ordered a calendar and date book from Kelly Rae Roberts artworks. I just love my 2018 date book…it is adorable with her whimsical artwork on each page…then Anne gave me a 2017 calendar for her artwork, too, that she knows I love…and I do.

This particular message (title photo) spoke to me yesterday…the weather has warmed back up…the shutters have been flown open once again,  the windows pushed up as high as they can go….winter germs out…fresh air in. Bring on this imperfectly perfect crazy mess of a beautiful life I live!

After all these years of collecting and cluttering I realize that my happiness, today, is tied directly to my minimalism. The less I have…the better I feel. It truly is like the legendary albatross flying off one’s shoulder. Freedom brings about such an elevated degree of happiness that joy just has to top it off like cherries on a sundae. A wonderful combination!

Some days it feels like the process of removing unused objects from my house…is like peeling an onion to get to the delicious center that will make every dish more palpable to awakening all our senses to the taste of  life. My personal happiness is growing in direct correlation to my “stuff” departing.

I am still going through the process and probably will be the rest of my life…but that’s okay…because now the process brings such happiness and joy… by proclaiming my freed time to play more and have more adventures in my life.

I loved the following thoughts from Joshua Becker on his website… with this message “Life is not Perfect…Fortunately.” (excerpts)

“Life is not perfect. It never has been and it never will be. But this can be good news. It means we can stop pursuing the mystical, perfect life. It means we can stop chasing perfect skin, the perfect job, the perfect house, or the perfect spouse. It means we can find freedom to live within our imperfections.”

…Some ideas to share and steps to follow…

We can finally stop chasing happiness in perfection. Happiness is not something to be attained when everything around is perfect—it can’t be. Instead, it means we can find contentment and happiness and joy even in the midst of defect. And when we begin to realize happiness is fully available to us today regardless of our circumstance, the better our chances become of finding it.

We can relate to one another in our weakness. Once we fully understand that all people are imperfect by nature, we can stop pretending that we have it all together. I am imperfect and you are imperfect. So let’s stop pretending that we aren’t. Instead, let’s begin living authentic, vulnerable lives with another. For it is in our weakness that we find our greatest commonality and community.

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So until tomorrow…Like Baker infers…being imperfect opens up our eyes to the good and joy around us…Since it is harder to obtain…the achievement is so much sweeter… or as stated so beautifully:

…”The mountaintops are high because the valleys are low. Without sorrow there is no joy. Imperfection brings beauty to the good. And because we know life is imperfect at best, we can find even greater joy in the little moments of triumph”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Speaking of Beauty and Pretties…Honey surprised me yesterday morning by showing up at my house…I cannot think of a more wonderful way to start the day…and look what she brought me that she made…a clay heart-shaped flower holder for my deck. I can hardly wait to put it up and have beautiful flowers spilling over in it.

Honey also gave me another hint her mother-in-law had told her…if you want to keep squirrels out of your flower beds or planters…put pine cones around flowers so the squirrels won’t  try to dig down and pull the roots up…another deterrent, as well as marigolds…I think the double protection is going to do the trick. Now let’s hope this unusually warm weather wave doesn’t wilt or kill the pansies. Always something with gardening.

I have several readers on the case of the flowering tree outside my computer window…Beverly thought it was a Stellar or Star Magnolia and I did too when I pulled the picture off the internet…but then Vickie showed me a real one in a neighbor’s yard and it is more oriental and ornamental in its smooth bark and petite trunk.

Vickie thinks it might be a Mahaleb Cherry because of the cluster design and Doodle is considering an Ornamental Pear tree… it does remind me of my Bradford Pear in the aspect that the bloom comes first and then the leaves. So the mystery is still open….will have to examine the trunk, I think, more closely to match it up correctly. Thanks everyone for your input…this is fun. I do know when I do have the name…I will never forget it.

Love is in the air…Tommy and Kaitlyn are fostering a little dog named Khaleesi….They kept Tigger for John and Mandy over the weekend for them to go to Disney World…and apparently Tigger, the old bachelor, is completely smitten with Khaleesi…Valentines is over and the love keeps coming.

And Rutledge is smitten with his little sister Eloise  too! Love is in the air…!

And Jakie is in love with Mickey Mouse ( and especially his new Mickey Mouse shirt from Disney) and his bouncing donkey…Life doesn’t get much better than this. Love is in the bounce!