I Believe...

     I have always loved rainbows. This year, rainbows have taken on a new meaning for me. I seem to be seeing them much more often these days. Most of the time when I'm seeing them, there is no rain. I think of each one as a gift from my mom. On our recent trip we saw two unusual "bows". The first two pictures were taken while we were sitting on the beach. I was thrilled they showed up in the pictures. The sun was so bright, I couldn't see what I was getting in the lense. We could see the brilliant prism only with our sunglasses on. It was gorgeous...these pictures don't do it justice.

     The second two pictures were taken out the car window somewhere near Chattanooga, TN. Once again, no rain in sight on a hot fall day. There were actually two prisms of color, but from the car I could only get a picture of one of them. You may have to enlarge the pictures to see this one. It was pretty, but nothing like the one we saw over the ocean above.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high,

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true.

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

Heidi @ Heart and Home for Wednesday Gratitude

Kathleen @ Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Please visit our wonderful hostesses!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Inhale

 

Last night I saw a shooting star

Fall from the sky, on a perfect night

Filled with wood smoke and crisp air

 A hint of coming winter on the breeze

God surprises us in many ways

A rainbow, when there is no rain

Brilliant sunsets at the end of a busy day

The tiny fingers of a new born babe

It is easy to forget the simple things

Our lives a sea of stress

An endless road of twists and turns

They tell us to “smell the roses” but who has time?

And yet, one instant of awareness

Can lift the pain of a troubled day

Offer hope of better times to come

Discover your moment and simply breathe…

Please visit our hostesses for the following Wednesday events.

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

Heidi @ Heart and Home for Wednesday Gratitude

Kathleen @ Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Sunrise, Sunset

     We all have those times when it seems as if the storm clouds are swirling all around us. Last week was one of those weeks for me. Two weeks ago, my dad was diagnosed with a serious skin cancer on his face. Last Monday he had surgery to remove it. I was in Illinois and he was in Florida. A friend took him and picked him up a few hours later, dropping him off at home. I was worried that he was home alone...he didn't seem to be worried at all. I felt very far away from him.

     Eleven days ago, my sister's 22-year-old daughter was in a boating accident. She fracture her neck. We were closer to the hospital where they took her, so we got there before her parents...she was terrified. I was terrified too, but I tried not to let her see it. She had surgery last Tuesday.

     On the same day, at the same time, my sister's 14-year-old was going through a trauma of her own. My younger niece's cheerleading coach and her son (a classmate and friend of my niece) were in a freak accident. They were at a football game when someone hit a guy wire on a power pole in the parking lot. 60 yards away, near the bleachers, the movement of the pole that was hit and the power lines snapped a different pole with a transformer on it. The coach (36-years-old) was crushed and killed, her son was seriously injured.

     Last Tuesday, good friends of ours took their 3-year-old to the doctor in St. Louis because they thought he had injured his back in a fall. He has leukemia.

     My dad's pathology reports all came back great. It looks as if they caught it in time and got it all. My niece had successful surgery and while she has a long recovery ahead of her with an ugly collar on her neck, she can walk and move all her fingers and toes. She should be back to 100 percent in a few months.

     My young niece's friend lost his mother, but he is going to be fine. He is back at school and he also has an ugly collar to wear, but he is doing okay. Our friend's little boy has the kind of leukemia that has the most successful cure rate. He will be in the hospital 28 days total. Today we can cross off day 6.

    

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears

I'm feeling very grateful for all blessings of the past several days.

I am joining:
 Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
Heidi @ Heart and Home for Wednesday Gratitude 

Please take time to pay them a visit.