Was what the sign in the gift shop declared!
Find Your Beautiful!
Stargazer Oriental Lily..a magnet for Luna and Sphinx moths at night
Of course, they hoped I would find that perfectly beautiful something that would make me feel good, make me smile,
make me feel like my day was complete!
make me feel like my day was complete!
Orange Crush Orienpet front lit by the sun!
But, that's not what the sign said to me!
My beautiful isn't the things I buy.
It's the quiet moments 
when I notice the sweetness of my life,
the abundance of love and friendships.
What is your beautiful?
gail
Good Morning, Gail. As always, your garden looks beautiful. I love the combination of fuchsia monarda and all the different purples. Fantastico! I just love going outside, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the warm sunshine. That is really when I feel luckiest, happiest, and truly grateful.
ReplyDeleteLiz, Me, too! I am so glad I added a few monardas to the mix last year...The bees and butterflies make the garden come alive! Can you believe the heat! gail
ReplyDeleteGail,I love the blooms in your garden.They are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteShantana
My beautiful would be the early mornings I spend out in the garden, watching the day come alive. And sitting on my verandah, listening to the music of falling rain after a long hot summer. (Oh I'm so ready for it right now!)
ReplyDeleteAnd watching my family enjoying our little piece of paradise. Thats beautiful for me!
Good morning! Lovely beautiful indeed. So much color. My beauty is in relaxing in the pool or watching a movie with the family. Or in sitting and looking at the garden-sitting! Just enjoying those small things which can get lost at times.
ReplyDeleteGail, you have definitely found your beautiful. I just love the shot with the zinnias. Mine aren't blooming yet but hopefully soon.
ReplyDeleteYou have created a place that not only looks beautiful but gives yourself and others a beautiful feeling deep inside. Thanks;)
Marnie
Gail,
ReplyDeleteYour photos are always so pretty, but that first photo is something you should consider framing!
Oooops! Sorry, the second photo is what I meant to say. Too bad they don't have an edit button instead of just a delete. :-)--Randy
ReplyDeleteNothing is more beautiful to me than a garden filled with flowers that have bees, butterflies and hummingbirds dancing around them. Your lovely flowers are indeed beautiful.
ReplyDelete"My beautiful isn't the things I buy." Word! BTW, remember the PPPP you sent me? I cut off all the blooms to the energy would go into the roots and foliage, but even though it's hardy here, the transition from TN weather to MI weather left it a little, um, yellowy reddish instead of green for its foliage. I wasn't mentioning it because I was sure it would pull through (the penstemon and iris are adapting better). But what do I see the other day? Two new blooms! The foliage is still recovering and it's really getting hot now, so it should be all good. :)
ReplyDeleteA lovely post, Gail! And in this economy, the idea is a timely reminder--I'm finding more and more that it's the simple things that bring the most joy. Your garden is certainly a riot of color right now--beautiful indeed.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have a lot of beauty happening in your garden, Gail, but I'm with Rose ... the best things in life are free :) Wishing you a 'beautiful' summer.
ReplyDeleteToday, I think my Beautiful will be the moment when the neighbor's lawnmower stops and the birds seem to sing twice as loud as before...It's interesting how we sometimes need to be jolted before we pay attention to the beauty around us.
ReplyDeleteHi Gail! You are directing our sights to the beauty outdoors! We arrived home last night and the first thing (of course) I had to do was walk all around the yard! ;-)
ReplyDeleteDiscovering new blooms and enjoying the continuing ones is my 'Beautiful' (and being home to enjoy them!)
My friends~~The best things in life are free and colorful! I am so glad you all stopped by to say hello... thank you for the sweet compliments. They mean a lot coming from you. gail
ReplyDeleteMonica...That is fantastic! I lost a beautiful rose that Sweetbay sent me and I feel terrible! It is nearly impossible to kill PPPP...but let me know if you need more. Randy, Rose, Beckie and Darla are also on the list but there is no way it will survive shipping in this incredible heat. I will ship it in the fall!
ReplyDeletegail
Gail that second photo is absolutely stellar.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful is the horses and the garden. There's nothing as beautiful as a beautiful horse.
When I visit your blog, I know I'm in for a treat and you never disappoint. My beautiful? My grandson's big brown eyes and his smile that lights up my heart.
ReplyDeleteDear Gail, family, friends, flowers.
ReplyDeleteFrances
Seeing my kids walking hand in hand through the garden! Kim
ReplyDeleteHasn't it been a year for Beautiful Lilies and more still to bloom!
ReplyDeleteA delightful post Gail, and thinking about your question, I think random acts of kindness by strangers, friends and family.
ReplyDeleteK
My beautiful means walking through my garden in the early morning and seeing all the signs of life waking up(-:
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are beautiful too!
Your gardens are fantastic Gail. I always enjoy seeing pics of your garden as it reminds me of home, which I miss terribly.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful is knowing my children, grandchildren & great,grandchildren are happy. Not to mention I love to walk around my gardens looking at every plant & bloom. To me it's like watching a child grow, as so my plants grow.
Your garden is so beautiful Gail, and you always capture the most breathtaking shots. :) Watching something I tended grow & become magnificent is how I find my beautiful moments. :)
ReplyDeleteGail -- I can just imagine you enjoying your Beautiful in your wonderful garden. My beautiful is ... sharing my garden with the birds and bees and, yes, deer and my DH and my little Miss Sunshine who now finds her own beautiful in our garden. THAT's beautiful. So nice that you remind us to appreciate the Zen of it.
ReplyDeleteDear Gail,
ReplyDeleteI've just had a most delightful time wandering through all the posts of yours that I've missed, with all the busyness going on here since the arrival of spring.
The purple of the salvia at the Lurie Gardens in Chicago is breathtaking! I'm so glad you all had such a wonderful time.
My beautiful is a garden full of color and wonder..all God's creatures...and sharing it with family and friends..especially blogging friends.
That first photo of the bee on the monarda is practically perfect :) What a pink!
Each and every post deserves a long commnent. Wish I had that much time!
Wonderful writing, wonderful pictures! Thank you Gail :)
Nothing more beautiful than the things you have described, Family and Friends right at the top of the list.
ReplyDeleteGail girl !
ReplyDeleteYou are ahead of me with the lillies .. did you have any problems with lily beetles at all ? they look so beautiful : )
My garden is in a sort of suspension with cone flowers ready to burst soon with the lillies .. but tons of GREEN abound ? LOL
I like that .. "find your beautiful" !
Beautiful photos. Find your beautiful.......what a great thing to think about.
ReplyDeleteJoy, I haven't seen any lily beetles and wonder if they will arrive now that I have more planted. Really lilies aren't that happy with the dry conditions we have here, so I don't have a lot of them! What I do have are lovely and I love the fragrance. gail
ReplyDeleteDear friends, You guys are the best...REALLY....Have a sweet day.
ReplyDeleteGail
My beautiful is to watch my plants while listening to the winged beauties' songs! Oh, Gail, your garden seems so full of color! The Orange Crush Orienpet actually brought a smile to my lips...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos Gail and a beautiful message!
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful is much the same as yours Gail although it can be enhanced by little things I buy to make my garden special. I love quiet moments spent outside. That first cup of morning coffee sitting on the front porch, etc. You have many beautiful flowers blooming at C&L right now to add to your enjoyment. Lilies and monarda are about to bloom for me too and I'm looking forward to that. Hope you have a super day!
ReplyDeleteGail: you have certainly found "your beautiful" with these photos of your garden flowers!Isn't it so true it not the material things that bring beauty to our lives but what we see with our eyes..the beauty all around us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your concern..tomorrow I should know more and finally an have an important scan I've been waiting to have..prayers are appreciated. hugs aNNa
What a lovely reflection for all of us! It's such a powerful thing to think about what 'the beautiful' is - in the times that we connect with what's most important - whether it's time with friends or family, time in nature, or time in our garden.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Lisa
Gail, I have found some of my beautiful looking at your garden! Your photos are wonderful-such great shots it seems you can almost reach out and touch them. Your Orienpet is stunning. I knew there was another type of lily out there but couldn't remember what they were called. Now I can google them. And what a name for this one! That's what the Illini student cheering section calls themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy beauty is my family, (especially my granddaughters!), my friends and of course my gardens. I am sure there are more, but I am too tired to think tonight. Loved your post! Don't be melting in this heat. :)
simply marvellous
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely, thoughtful post! My beautiful is in sharing quiet moments observing nature with my husband. I wish it could include my children, but they have a hard time with quiet moments.
ReplyDeleteGail, you always ask the bigger questions and get us thinking.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful, today: sunlight turning the leaves into panes of stained glass; the first rose of the season; my friend's first orchid, reblooming to her delight; our youngest daughter just turning sweet sixteen; promise of a summer evening on the back porch with a lager and lime; daisies in a jam jar; stepping into the shade on a hot, hot day.
My beautiful is every day that I can read this blog and others of my favorites. I had an eye appointment today and there is no new damage which is really good news. Since being diagnosed with macular degeneration, I linger longer on the smallest of details. Getting to share your blooms with you makes my world so much richer.
ReplyDelete