Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Spring Joy List

Spring is here!  It is definitely a season with plenty of joy as the days become longer and warmer, the trees leaf out and the flowers start to bloom.  Even when one lives in a climate where winters are relatively mild, spring is a season of renewal and awakening.  I have prepared a Spring Joy List, to cover the period between now and the start of summer in June.

New Leaves on the Jasmin Vine


1.  Daily prayer and contemplation: take time to appreciate this time of renewal
2.  Continue to drink my tea in my favorite cups
3.  Continue to chat daily with my daughter
4.  My daughter's next visit home (in April or May)
5.  Savor my last jar of homemade apple and pomegranate jam!

6.  Visit the temple
7.  Do a craft project: make a birthday card for my sister
8.  Do more gardening: plant a vegetable garden, scatter some flower seeds
9.  Celebrate Sri Lankan New Year (April 13)
10. Bring in more fresh flowers and greenery

Hibiscus after the rain


11. Play with fabric
12. Visit the farmers' market
13. Visit the library
14. Read a book or two (or more)
15. Do more sketching
16. Naps on the sofa!
17. Take in the sunsets
18. Music - listening and singing
19. Arrange to video chat with a friend
20. Indulge in strawberries! 

Biscuit with some of my apple & pomegranate jam


What brings you joy?   






24 comments:

  1. That's a good list, Bless! The sun shining is bringing me joy at the moment. Can't wait to get out and do more walking.

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Sun shine is such a blessing, isn't it? I feel so much better and productive when it is sunny and bright! I need to do more walking, myself. Hope you are having a lovely day, Jane.

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  2. This Joy list...made me happy.. What a wonderful list. Fun and doable things. Things to bring joy.. Just perfect Bless.
    the hibiscus is beautiful. Hope you get to enjoy each and every item on your list.

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    1. Thank you, Judy! I tried to keep it real. There were a few other things I wanted to include, but I didn't want to turn it into another "To Do" list. Hope your days are filled with joy, too, Judy.

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  3. Great list, Bless!

    A lot of things bring me joy: spending time with Greg on the weekends, hearing the birds sing in the morning, the purring of the kittens as they cuddle near me, my kids playfully arguing at the dinner table, baked goods, a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, a song from my teenage years on the radio, the smell of fresh laundry dried outdoors, Law and Order marathons on Wednesdays!

    I plan on enjoying all of these for the foreseeable future :)

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    1. Love your list, Nathalie. I hope you continue to enjoy all those things and more for a long time to come!

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  4. Wow that's quite a list! I know you'll do well on achieving it. I have to admit there are a lot of items on the list that I plan on doing. I'm also looking forward to visiting my daughter the first full week of May - trying not to think how far away it is!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. Time to start the count-down till your visit! The weeks will fly by quickly!

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  5. You always remind us daily and seasonally that simple things can bring us joy and to be thankful for them. Thanks.

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Live and Learn. After my cancer diagnosis, I promised myself that I will appreciate each day I am blessed to live. As far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as a "bad" day. No matter what happens, or how I feel (some of the meds I am on still have side effects that I don't talk about much and some days, it is hard to get out of bed), I remind myself that I am blessed to be alive and that there is joy in each day. I hope that doesn't come across as being terribly prim and "preachy"! I don't intend it to be!

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  6. What a lovely list Bless. I'm sat here with a cup of tea, the windows and doors open looking at blue skies and sunshine - although it's a bit chilly. After the events yesterday in London, even these simple things bring me joy and remind me how fragile life can be. xx

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    1. Suzanne, I read about it in the news; I am so sorry. I visited London many years ago, but I remember going across Westminster Bridge. Life is definitely fragile, isn't it? One just never knows when it might all come to an end. Just savor each day and hug your loved ones a bit tighter.

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  7. A hot cup of tea brings me joy
    My children/grandchildren bring me profound joy
    Flowers bring me joy - I love your Hibiscus
    Home made jam brings me joy - love your apple & pomegranate
    Walking on the beach and the rolling waves bring me joy
    Laundry flapping in the breeze brings me joy
    Birds singing early in the morning brings me joy

    Your blog makes me think about and focus on joy. Thank you for being you.

    Sandy

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    1. Sandy, that is a lovely list of joys! Yes, a walk along the beach is such a pleasure. I need to add that to my list! Thank you for your kind comment; my pleasure. :)

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  8. Family and friends bring me joy
    Silly squirrels chasing each other bring me joy
    Birds of all kinds bring me joy
    Moonlight casting tree shadows on snow (we still have plenty) bring me joy
    The fragrance of boiling maple sap brings me joy
    A bed with fresh sheets brings me joy
    Looking forward to Easter brings me joy
    Going to Mass brings me joy
    Good music and art bring me joy
    Sunshine lighting up my home brings me joy.

    Bushlady

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    1. A lovely list of things that bring you joy, Bushlady. The squirrels chasing each other made me smile. I love squirrels!

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  9. Let's see...what brings me joy...
    ~My blogger friends who always inspire and help me to grow
    ~My family, I am blessed with a wonderful husband who tells and shows me he loves me daily, 3 amazing sons, 2 awesome daughters (yes, they may technically be my daughter in laws, but they are fully mine! ;) ) and my grandsons who bring me more joy than I can even describe.
    ~Spending time with friends that know and love me and who will be honest with me and tell me things that I need to hear, even when I don't want to hear them ;)
    ~Hugs...they are never enough hugs in the world are there?
    ~New plant growth in the Spring and the turning of the leaves in the Fall
    ~The blessing of still having my parents and being able to spend time with them.
    ~My siblings...although we have all gone down different paths in life, we love and support each other and are there for one another.
    ~My fur babies who make me laugh and who are there to comfort me and keep me company when I am having a bad day
    ~The smell of freshly line dried laundry
    ~Crawling into a freshly made bed
    ~A sweet friend calling me today out of the blue just to check on me

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    1. That's a lovely list of joy, Debbie! Definitely a need for more hugs, I think! Especially these days. Take care of yourself and (((HUGS))) from me to you. :)

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  10. Your hibiscus flower bed is so pretty. Amazing how you had no grass a few short months ago and now look at it ... so pretty and green. Beautiful!

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    1. Thank you, Carolyn. It's the first time I've had more than 3 flowers at one time on that hibiscus plant! There's even some grass in the front yard! I'm hoping we'll get a little more rain before the summer.

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  11. What a beautiful list of joy! I love that hibiscus plant, beautiful colour. Your drinking tea out your favourite cup resonates with me. I think what gives me the most joy is listening to the birdsong early in the morning, especially the native birds.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. Seems to me that tea drunk from a favorite cup tastes better! :D Birdsong in the morning is lovely, too.

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  12. These US "biscuits" ... are they like savoury scones, or bread, or what? I have seen them on US TV shows but can never really tell.

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    1. They are scone like, using baking powder as the leavening. I often cheat and buy the refrigerated dough that comes in a sort of tube, but, should really make my own. I haven't tried my hand at making scones, but, my daughter makes them!

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