searching...

 Start every day with a grateful heart.

It's wonderful advice to begin each day with a grateful heart. I try to start each day by speaking with God. It's never a well thought out prayer, it is more like an honest conversation. If I begin by thanking our heavenly Father for the blessings in my heart, it does lift my spirits.

However, not long after my morning prayers I still find myself in search of inspiration. I'm not depressed but I don't feel as inspired as I have at other points in my life.

One source of inspiration comes from old books and magazines...

...but the pages don't seem to hold the key right now.

So more often than not, I put on some grubby clothes and my apron and head out to the garden. There are no lack of projects that I can get into on this property. Lately I've been cleaning the grape arbor area at the end of the flower gardens. The home was built about 100 years ago and by the look of the "trunk" of the old grapevine, I would bet this is a part of the original grounds. 

With rake and trowel in hand I'm ready to dig in.

As I lose track of time in the garden, I find my mind drifts away from of the problems of the world.

Before I know it I'm dreaming of fairies...

...and settling for butterflies.

As the sun begins to set, my spirits are soaring and I feel the kind of ache that comes with a day's hard work.

The world can be an ugly place right now when we focus on the negativity around us. Blocking out the news and focusing on the blessings around me brings peace to my worried mind.

My garden heals my mind and time with the Lord heals my heart and soul. Do you have something in your day-to-day life that lifts your spirits? Is it reading, crafting, baking, friends?

Although we are all different, one thing that hopefully ties us together is our need for a peaceful mind.

Here's to finding inner peace...

and in my case,

a little dirt under my nails.