Thinking of the Lovely

Happy Spring, friends! I don't know about you but for me, time seems to be on a fast treadmill! Things in our little corner of the planet have been chasing one day into the next. I have been giving a lot of thought lately to giving time for beauty in our days and making that count. So much time, my day at least, is spent on the computer for work and on spreadsheets or taking "breaks" to scroll through news that is downright sad! One thing that I have really appreciated these last few weeks (during the season of Lent) is seeing what opens up when you give up something. I highly encourage giving something up for period of time, even if it isn't Lent, to see what space you have and what thoughts come from not having something so routine in your day. It is really like a balance on a scale going off and you suddenly have more weight to put into your day.

I've taken quite a few things off my routine during Lent and have really enjoyed being able to see what my mind has contemplated filling with that space or void that was left. A few things have "blossomed" like the spring that I would love to share. Cultivating mentally enriching things, and making better use of time has been the most important "blossoms". I've started making "wish lists" of little things I would like to accomplish, like the things I never get around to because I don't think I have enough time. And I've been setting my alarm for an hour or even twenty minutes to do one of those things. What kinds of things? Oh, well...really important things like reading about Monet and looking at a painting for five minutes letting my mind wander, or reading a poem by P.B. Shelley outloud to Fatty while he listens carefully, or closing my eyes and listening to a piece of classical music.

I've seen how joy and time can be stripped away so quickly when we think we are getting things done and the only time we deserve to relax is doing something that is actually more stressful like reading the news or seeing a TV show that is so dramatic we actually don't mentally relax.

And I have also really enjoyed using time as an element to really make the day count. Fifteen minutes might not seem like much....but when you stop and do something truly enriching for your mind for fifteen minutes it makes the day that much better.

Lastly, on beauty, this verse in the Bible on protecting our thoughts has been with me a lot this week. The last 8 days have been intense, and guiding my mind back to a place of beauty has made facing challenges so much easier!

Phillipians 4:8...Actually all of Philippians chapter 4 is incredibly uplifting on teaching us how to mind our thoughts and keep them grounded in goodness. This one verse has been my verse for the week, "Brothers and Sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble , whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely: if there is anything virtuous or praiseworthy, think about these things."

 Here are some pictures of things I found lovely and beautiful:

The cherry blossoms on our street

The stars on the ceiling of St. Mary's church in Annapolis. Also the painting of our Lady of Czestochowa on the right, which reminded me of my brother who visits the original picture frequently. 

Bently watching Cat TV on youtube for the first time. He was not relaxed! 

The sunny docks of Baltimore

The little children in my class wrote a prayer asking Our Lady to intercede for a special request and each gave her a rose.

Knowing that graceful Mother Mary will watch over each of our prayers no matter how small.

The flowers at the National Gallery of Art

I wish I had captured the name of this painting better! Each time I see this painting at the National Gallery of Art, I think that this is exactly what Fatty would look like as a human!

He is almost identical to the man in the painting above. 

A surprising and beautiful day out in Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay.

So there we have it, friends! Thinking of the lovely!