An early morning and restless spirit led to reading beautiful poetry. Timeless phrases from gifted poets have a way of opening the mind’s eye to gratitude for things taken for granted or assumed. The beauty of words can unleash moments of recognition on just how beautiful life, simple necessities to live, can be. My heart is filled with gratitude for these talented poets who paint such beauty with their words.

Nature, just like poetry offers subtle beauty that can be missed by a quick pace. This image came from just such a moment. The orange and brown of the soon-to-be dormant plants with the vivid green of new life of the pine caught my eye and paused our step on a beautiful day of hiking. This loveliness could easily have been missed if our steps had been in haste.

….“Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.”~Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life

Peace.