Fresh mint! I love it! It smells refreshing and invigorating yet calming at the same time.  A big whiff of mint gives me that aaahhhh!! sense.

This week the members of The Wonder Woman Challenge received an email about focusing on nature for one of their self-nurture activities.

Hint:  If you have not signed up for the challenge and/or the weekly encouragement tip go do that now so you won’t miss out on anything.  Click HERE or look to left of this page.

Here is an example of what I did today.  My little (very little) herb garden needed some love.  So we went out and cleaned it up a bit.  If any of you have ever grown fresh mint you know that it grows like crazy and my mint had pretty much taken over my little garden space.

There’s no way I could use as much as I pulled and I certainly didn’t want to throw it out, and although I am sure there is a great way to preserve fresh mint that I am not aware of (please share your ideas ), I simply put it all in an old awesome looking watering can that is now sitting in my family room.

So now every time I look at it, it blesses the daylights out of me plus the house smells like lovely mint!

Aaaaahhhh!!  I love it!!

See?  Simple!  I took 15 minutes out in nature to weed back the mint.  Then brought a little nature indoors by placing the mint into a sweet container, and now the self-nurture activity keeps on giving to us in body, mind, and spirit.

Does it get in any easier and sweeter?

Shileen

Spring is finally here.  That alone is enough to make my spirit jump with joy.  This is, no doubt, a gorgeous time of the year as nature comes alive with new birth.

With spring comes spring-cleaning.  We all seem to naturally want to clean things out, freshen things up, and make our homes sparkle after a long winter, at least to

some degree.  Making things beautiful inside and out, we want our homes to be fresh and new just like outside in nature.

Spring is a time to come alive.  To come alive is exhilarating … especially if you have not been in that state for a while whether from a long hard winter in nature or from life’s hard knocks.

Below is a facebook status update from my girlfriend that I would like for you to ponder …

Spring has come to Pennsylvania. As I was clearing away dead leaves and debris in my flowerbeds, I was reminded that now is a prefect time to do the same within ourselves. ~ BI

No matter what emotional state you might find yourself in and for whatever reason, how can this beautiful season of spring, spring you forward into a higher exhilarated state of being alive?

As you become still and ponder my girlfriend’s thought, what debris in your own life do you need to clear away?  There is fresh soil under the dead leaves and debris.  What might you find after you have cleared it out?  How alive might it make you feel once it is all gone?  What’s the first step you need to take towards making it happen?

Spring is a time to come alive … Go for it!!!

As I sit at the window seat with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket, I am gazing out at the wonders of His hands.  The beauty that bestows me is breathtaking.  There is a peace, a calm that has blanketed the earth.

Yes, I live in an area that has been hit with the winter storm which, left us with two feet of snow.  There are issues and problems at hand to deal with; yet, I have welcomed the storm in all of its beauty.  It has allowed me to step out of the rat race and the norm to be in the moment in order to take care of the simple things of life in which we need to survive.

Being snowed in reminds me to be grateful for all that we have.  Although we have not lost power, we did lose our TV, phones, and Internet for a while.  It was a strange feeling to not be plugged in to the outside world, but it felt good at least for a short time.  I suddenly became so grateful for all of our technology today as it has only been a few short years ago that we all lived unplugged.

In these moments of quiet stillness, I cannot help but be in awe of His beauty.  What I am seeing out of my window is His masterpiece. Who can create such a masterpiece as this?  Truly a reflection of  His glory.  After all, anytime an artist creates a piece of art, that artwork is a reflection of the one who created it.

When I ask, Lord, what parts of you are you reflecting, all I can hear are things like, quietness, peace, stillness, beauty.  And then I hear, “Be still and know that I am God.”

If you have never seen the work of Snowflake Bentley, you are in for a real treat. He has an amazing story that will leave you thinking about the awesomeness of God our creator.  Enjoy!