Been looking for a quote today and decided to use the first one in the book of quotes resting near my chair. Turned out the first quote in the book works great for today. “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it,” Ronald Dahl.

This quote just speaks to me about the beauty of friendship and the magic that happens when two friends connect and form a life long bond. There is magic in friendship, magic of love and trust, magical warmth of belonging and togetherness. One of my dearest childhood friends buried his mother this week. She lived a magical life of 97 glorious years. When I visited her we often talked of our children, our grandchildren, our husbands we loved. We held hands and shed tears as we reminisced about our families, our children who had gone to heaven, our husbands we had adored and lost. I’m going to miss her. Always felt my mother’s presence when I talked and visited with her. I know my mother ran to heaven’s gates with Marion’s family to welcome her to heaven. Rest in peace sweet friend.

There is magic in all God’s wonderful creations in the heavens and on the Earth, too. So many wonders on this wondrous planet we call Earth but most of us are to busy with our lives to watch the sunset, or a butterfly flex it’s wings, or a squirrel stuff his cheeks with sunflower seeds. We all need to slow down and “smell the roses.” And I know that’s hard when you’re young, working, raising a family.

Mother Nature was experimenting with her magical peach and pink and orange watercolor washes tonight, brushing the bright yellow ball of the sun down a pageant runway of pale peach. For the runway curtains above she painted the horizon in shades of vanilla white and pale blueberry sticks of hard candy. A few solitaire clouds floating north were shaded the palest of pinks, so pretty against the blue sky of dusk. Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight, telling her a story about the jeweled sky and the Man in the Moon as he tucked her in her cloud covers of blueberry. The stars started to twinkle in the dark navy sky and Father Sky left the sunset pageant to wake the moon, placing him high on the night stage. The day’s light faded and the night began its darkness.

You really can’t find magic till you seek it. I’ve had so many magical moments with my grandchildren, the sunset, the songbirds, the butterflies, the wind chime symphonies…. Never knew the night sky was so beautifl, either. When I look up, I can see the mysterious magic in a nighttime sky, a dark velvet canopy pinned with bejeweled diamonds, a luminous radiant moon holding court at night. Maybe you just have to be retired and a porch ponderer to notice all the magic around you. Hope there will be some magic in your life today!

Marcel Proust writes, “Let us be thankful for the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” I’m so thankful for the people who make me happy. My soul blossoms with friends and family who make my life’s garden grow with light and love. It’s those we love the most that we take for granted. We assume they know how we feel about them so we don’t take the time to tell them how we feel, to show them how much we appreciate them. To all my friends, I love y’all and appreciate your friendships.

We take God for granted when we don’t follow his commandments, thinking it’s okay because we’re forgiven for our sins when we ask God for forgiveness. Christianity is a constant struggle. We pray for things we want and feel we need but forget to pray prayers of thanksgiving for all our blessings. We can rely on God and know he listens to our prayers and will answer them. Sometimes we don’t receive the answer we are looking for but as time passes we realize God was correct in his answer to our prayer.

God never takes us for granted. He loves us unconditionally and stands by our side through the trials and tribulations that run through our daily lives. He doesn’t judge our mistakes and always stretches his hands out to catch us when we fall. When we need a little nudge to get up and get going on the right path, God guides us through our faith. If you don’t have faith you’re walking on the edge of a cliff on a dark rocky path. Better pray for God’s holy light to illuminate your journey’s trail.

We should be so grateful that we’re not alone in this world, believing God is always standing close, giving us the courage to stand up in these hard times. Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is trying to assure us that despite all the challenges we face in this beautiful life, we can always find peace and hope through our faith in God.

“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” ― Roy T. Bennett