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Inspiration: Happy Mother’s Day…

12/05/2012

“And it came to me, and I knew what I had to have before my soul would rest. I wanted to belong – to belong to my mother. And in return – I wanted my mother to belong to me.” Gloria Vanderbilt

Inspiration: Happy Mother’s Day… To all mothers and daughters

My Mother by Ann Taylor
Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gazed upon my heavy eye,
And wept for fear that I should die?
My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray
And love God’s holy book and day,
And walk in wisdom’s pleasant way?
My Mother. Cont’d below

Happy Mother’s Day! Do you remember this poem? It is a classic and one we recited in school for years. If you’ve ever wanted a poem that asks some of the heart-tugging questions we hold close to our chests, and that will stick to you like an ear-worm, this is perfect. Blessings to all mothers, daughters, grandmothers and beyond. When we help and care about others, we are all mothers… Below, I’ve added a popular African song – Sweet Mother – by Prince Nico Mbarga and a fun version by Tilda.
ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚…Sending sprinkles of Love to all: Happy Mother’s Day! ˚ ✰* ★˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥
Again, Have a Happy Mother’s Day! More below. 😉

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Musings: In My Mother’s Garden…

11/05/2012

“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” Honore de Balzac

Musings: In My Mother’s Garden… Bachelor’s button

Musings: In My Mother’s Garden… Frangipani…

Musings: In My Mother’s Garden… Gaillardia

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.
Rajneesh

As we approach Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, May 13, many of us will turn our attention to the special yet complex relationships we had/have with our mothers. Some are fraught with difficult moments, some with divine exchanges, and yet others with no memories because of circumstances that led to an abbreviated childhood or the death of a loved one.   My relationship with my mother is not perfect…  However, she instilled in me a love for gardening; a love for beautiful tropical blooms with exotic names: Frangipani, Bougainvillea, Bachelor’s button, Hibiscus, Jacaranda, Gaillardia, Caladium, and many, many more. For this post, I thought I’d share some of the flowers she planted, nurtured, and celebrated when they bloomed. They were like children; bright, capricious, eager to please, and temperamental… For now, I wish her and all moms a Happy Mother’s Day! More below

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Reflections: Open To Change…

10/05/2012

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin

Reflections: Open To Change… Sunrise… Be it simple or radical.

Change Upon Change by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Five months ago the stream did flow,
The lilies bloomed within the sedge,
And we were lingering to and fro,
Where none will track thee in this snow,
Along the stream, beside the hedge.
Ah, Sweet, be free to love and go! Contd Below

Do you think people can change? Yes… be it simple or radical. Why change?  Because we must; either willingly or by fiat. It is the natural progression of all life to undergo change. Whether we like it or not, change, like death, is inevitable. Just as the sun rises and sets with changing colors, such is the certainty of change.  It is human nature to resist change even when we know the benefits because, as creatures of habit, most of us want to maintain the status quo.  Our attitude might be: Why rock the boat when all seems to be working well? But change comes anyway. It comes when we least expect it, or on schedule in some shape or form; the I Ching offers 64 hexagrams on changing conditions … and change we must. How do you handle it? How have you handled the new WP default commenting system?

♥A Recent Change: WP has changed the comments notification system. Now when we leave a comment, before we hit submit, we must un-check the box below that says: Notify me of follow-up comments via email. If we forget, which I keep doing because we didn’t have to un-check that silly box in the past, there is a solution. We simply click on/go to Manage subscriptions found on every post that arrives in our mailbox, select Comments, check all the comments we wish to unfollow, click the small dialog box (Bulk Actions), select unfollow, then click apply and it deletes all of them. Bingo! It is a bit of a hassle and until we get used to the idea, many of us will have to use the above approach. It’s an example of change we must embrace by fiat.  Cheers! :-)

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living.” Gail Sheehy

Reflections: Open To Change… Sunset. Change is inevitable.

For if I do not hear thy foot,
The frozen river is as mute,
The flowers have dried down to the root:
And why, since these be changed since May,
Shouldst thou change less than they. Contd below

When are we least open to change?  Some might say we are least open when things are going great, but, fear is what often stands in the way and hinders our efforts to embrace change. When are we most open to change? When we believe the benefits outweigh the chance of loss. Or when we’ve exhausted all options and are willing to try a new approach or path. On both accounts, the fear factor is a dominant feature. The irony is that often we say, “I am open to change…” But, in reality, most of us are only open to change if we can control the terms and conditions. What would happen if we just accept the change? More below!

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