Blessed Friends...Good Thoughts...Procrastination...Awards and The Secret to Happiness

"Kindred Spirits are not so scarce as I used to think."

~Lucy Maud Montgomery

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I am sometimes very, very good at procrastinating.

Why? Who knows.

Perhaps it's the fact that I get ideas in my head about how things should look or be done...and then wait until they can be implemented just as I envision them...and then... time gets away from me. Other times I am simply absent minded and forgetful.


That being said, there is no good excuse for taking so long (i.e., two long months)to thank and acknowledge the


Kreative Blogger Award

I received from my ...


hilarious, fellow~cat~lady friend, Angie a.k.a.

the Eclectic Catlady

Thank you Angie...

for your kind friendship... forgiving nature... and keen sense of humor.


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To top it all off..

I am blessed to receive still another honor...

the...

I Love Your Blog

award

from my

good and kind friend Charmaine at...

Beautiful Things to Share !

Please stop by and pay a visit to these amazing Kindred Spirits!

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Luckily for me,
both awards ask that I reveal seven things about myself.


1. I am a firm believer in the power of good thoughts and especially prayers. I think good thoughts are akin to prayers and thus I make a habit to send out both... as frequently as possible. What we focus on grows. Why not focus on the good and the lovely?

2. I love animals. All animals. Rosie and Katie call me a cross between "Enchanted" and "Elf". We have squirrels that come and tap on my kitchen window to say "hello" even if there is already food set out for them~~a few even allow me to pet them. If I'm not in the kitchen they chatter at me from the tree outside my bathroom window (upstairs) or peek at me from the glass balcony door of our bedroom (driving Zoey mad with jealousy). Of course, I do have a special soft spot for cats and dogs. We don't currently have a dog because our back "yard" is minuscule and it would not be a good life for a dog. However, we do have two amazing cats that think they're dogs. Our calico, Zoey, fetches those little red and white mints. I joke you not. We throw it and she retrieves it; drops it right at our feet like a stick. Mike calls her his "Calico Retriever". Katie's cat, Obee, patrols against the raccoons that try to take over under cover of night. If he could bark, he would. Instead, he has a Siamese, high~pitched "rurr~ow".


3. I am a lover of books. The right book... appearing in your life at the right time... can become a great counselor/friend and change the trajectory of your future.

4. Because of this great love (or should I say... passion) I own thousands of books~~books of all genres, shapes, sizes and ages~~hardcover, softcover and the like. You will find books in every room of my house. The kitchen has a china cabinet that I use as a bookcase. The linen closets that line the upstairs hall are filled with books instead of linens. My walk~in clothes closet was long ago converted into a tiny office/library (mostly library). If the truth be told, every wall of my dream home would boast floor to ceiling shelves for books. Some would have doors, some would not. I have always thought this would be a frugal/practical way to add insulation as well. I don't have a Kindle, but will probably get one when the prices go down a little more... because of their sheer convenience. That being said, there is nothing more precious to me than the tactile act of holding and reading a paper~leafed book. They aren't dependent upon battery power or electricity and I cannot imagine an electronic device duplicating that paper pleasure...ever.

5. I never read just one book at a time. On any given day I will be in the midst of reading 3 to 9 books. I do this by reading a chapter or two per book, per day. If it's a busy week, I rotate books. It does help that I am a very fast reader.

6. I enjoy beauty and believe it is undervalued in our society. Not the beauty of movie stars and youth~obsession, but true beauty. True beauty can be discovered in the most unlikely of places. There is beauty in words, books and good thoughts just as there is beauty in a well designed room, a delicate fragment of vintage lace or a lovely young girl. There is beauty in the soil of the garden... and the aged face of a kind soul. There is beauty in polished silver and... even more beautiful... tarnished silver. There is beauty in frayed rugs... candle light... and the shadows the trees make as the wind causes them to sway...

7. It is my firm belief that the secret to happiness is unconditional love. It has been my experience that if a person can abandon the habit of relationship score~keeping... and let go of perceived hurts, anger and sorrows... there is an amazing peace and happiness that results. I'm not saying it's easy. It's often a strenuous exercise of character and a strong test of will~power... yet... with such rewards... isn't it worth it to at least try?! I think so.

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I am supposed to pass these awards along to seven other Bloggers.
However... this is the busy holiday season so I will just offer it to any and/or all of you amazingly kind~kindred souls who read this. Take up the mantle if it calls to you...ignore it if it does not. All I ask is that you have a blessed, prosperous and peaceful holiday season brimming with unconditional love, good thoughts and kind prayers.

Warmly,
Tracey
xxx