Scatter the flowers

  Irish friendship ring symbol "There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are  friendships and may they always be." ~ traditional Irish toast ☘ "Ní neart go cur le chéile" - there is no strength without unity.  I'm not Irish (except for on St. Patrick's Day-haha), but they seem to have their sayings right.  I mean, who would doubt the inventors of Irish coffee, corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread , Irish shortbread , &  black pudding (just kidding - that one sounds gross).  ☘ We love the land that brought us songs  from the likes of the Celtic women , U2 ,  the Irish Tenors ,   Chasing Abbey  singing "Oh My Johnny" (my new favorite song) -they have contributed so much to our joy 🎶 .   All this month as we honor women in history, I have tried not to ignore the aspect of friendship that is so integral to our lives, and the unity we share in so many facets of our daily being. ☘ ...

  Google image "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." ~ Elbert Hubbard, author ⚘ Ever hated the way something tastes or feels?  Like raw oysters, or whatever those little chunky things are in tapioca pudding or bobo tea?  My best friend can't stand the feeling of cotton, so as good friends & college roommates, one day we put cotton on literally everything she would have to touch as she got ready for the day - her mascara, toothbrush, hairbrush, inside her box of cereal, on her milk carton and so on.  Then we laughed til we cried as she discovered them all throughout the day. Who doesn't need friends like that? ⚘ In International Women's History month, we can't talk about women without talking about friendship.  According to the Mayo clinic, the benefits of friendship include:  -increasing your sense of belonging and purpose -boosting your happiness & reducing your stress -improving your self confidence & self worth -h...

  "How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank It's National Women's History Month- what a great time to peek at the women in the Bible who lived their seemingly little lives, with faith in a big God, not knowing that we would be encouraged and inspired by them centuries later.   Ruth - a woman of incredible loyalty and devotion; determined to stay by her mother-in-law's side as they navigate the painful loss of both of their husbands.   She honors her MIL with her daily faithfulness, putting her own desires last, trusting in the God that Naomi showed her, though not raised in faith herself.  From her lineage came King David, and our Lord.  Ruth in the Fields, Merle Hugues, 1876 What can we learn from her?   Being faithful in the seemingly small acts of kindness is rewarded by God.  She didn't become obsessed with what others thought of her. Hannah - trusted God for the d...

Google photo   "If you hang out with chickens you're going to cluck, and if you hang out with eagles you're going to fly."  ~Steve Mariboli, author 🐔 "Dentists, germs, needles, milk, death, snakes, mushrooms, heights, crowds, elevators." - this is the list, in order from greatest to least, of Adrian Monk' s irrational fears. I'm not quite that irrational, but I have a fairly healthy list of phobias - claustrophobic darkness (like the kind in an inside cruise ship room or cave), anything to do with water, germs from putting my purse down in a restaurant or bathroom, mountain lions in any setting, spiders.  I think that's enough for now.  🐔 I just went up in a small plane with a very trustworthy pilot friend and then took a tour of caves - easily hit two on my list.  Now I don't have to do either again.  Ever. Am I a better person for having done that?  I doubt it.  My friends talked me into it-something about living life to the fullest, faci...

  google image "Until we care more about what God thinks than what other people think we are truly never free." ~Christine Caine The Constitution guarantees us freedom- of religion, press, peaceable assembly, etc. - all things on this earth.  But in spite of dedicating their lives to public service to protect these freedoms, even the early U.S. Presidents weren't immune from criticism &  nicknames :     George Washington - "Fake Patriot" - called this by a newspaper after he signed an unpopular treaty with Britain.  He was vital in the creation of our Constitution.     John Quincy Adams - "Mad Old Man" - but went on to fight slavery repeatedly while in office.     James Madison - "His Little Majesty" - because he was 5'4" and 100 pounds (something he had literally no control over).  Wrote the 'Federalist Papers' and helped ratify the Constitution, referred to as the "Father of the Constitution".     Willia...

  Google image "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye." ~H. Jackson Brown Jr, author of Life's Little Instruction Book 💗 Did you know one of the most expensive Valentine's gifts is a $366,500 pair of sunglasses made from 60 grams of gold & 51 river diamonds?  How long would it be before you lost them or sat on them accidentally?  Yikes.   Maybe if that doesn't demonstrate one's love quite enough - there is the $647,000 pen containing 840 diamonds & over 20 carats of gemstones.  Sure, I wouldn't lose that.  💗 Or there's the ever popular dinner at the top of the Empire State Building for $10,000.  I put the link in the picture below if you are interested in buying tickets.  I mean, the view's totally worth it.  Valentine's Day makes us think of love.  Which makes me think of chocolate.   Just kidding.  Not just any chocolate - I'm much more specific - See's Bordeaux Bars.  Which... I give...