Not To Possess

  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

God gave us the gift of life; 

it is up to us to give 

ourselves the gift 

of living well.

    Voltaire

Manu O Ku

Life is a gift 

not to possess 

but to share.

    Henry Nouwen

Even the hard things

bring something with them

I would not say that

when loss is fresh

and grief is loud,

when everything feels broken

that is a time for presence,

not words

but it becomes true

in a quiet way,

given time

pain teaches

without permission

but we can choose

not to be crushed

cry

miss

lament

be cold and empty and scared

feel all of it honestly

that is what it is for

and still, somehow, notice

the way wind moves through leaves

a bird calls once, then is gone

the cool of tile under bare feet

after walking in the heat of day

these small things fix nothing

but remind us we are here

hurting, but open

grieving, yet still grateful

life is a curious,

beautiful thing

find your reasons

to stay a while longer.

    Cloudia Charters

Everything that happens

in your life is a gift.
And if you treat it that way

you will experience it that way.
Spend the rest of your life

unwrapping presents.
Pixie

꧁ ❤ ꧂

 Links
Travel Tuesday 
Happy Tuesday 
Tuesday Treasures
My Corner Of The World
Wild Bird Wednesday
Signs2

I love Heaven,

Soul AND Food so

I'm pretty excited

they opened recently!

From Gratitude To Grateful

  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

 To speak gratitude 
is courteous and pleasant, 
to enact gratitude is 
generous and noble, but 
to live gratitude 
is to touch Heaven.
Johannes Gaertner

People give you
what they are
not what you deserve;
What you deserve
you give to yourself.
Anonymous

I used to schedule gratitude,

pencil it in
between my fears.
It was neat work,
rows of thank yous
like fenceposts
but the grass kept growing wild.

Now the air just
happens,
and I breathe it.
No checklist,
no ceremony.
Just ordinary steps,
Walking on the ground. . .

The Quiet After Saying Thank You
After the words,
silence stays,
not empty,
but feathered with meaning.
Maybe that’s what gratitude becomes
once it’s done performing:
just a hush in the body
that hums:
I’m still here.
Cloudia Charters

What is love? Gratitude. 

What is hidden in our chests? 

Laughter. What else? 

Compassion.

Rumi

ᨊᨋᨌᨍᨎᨏᨐᨑᨒᨓ
Love Pixie & Cloudia
ᨏᨐᨑᨒ

 Links

Nature Notes

AWWW Monday

T Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

All You Need Already

 

 A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

Brilliant Venus steady flame holds the evening, in the west. Beside her, soft as a

whisper of light the new crescent Moon. Jupiter lingers

with gentle gravity, a fleeting ember after dusk. Together they gather in harmony twilit line of presence, radiant, enduring even as they move to their next stations. This moment feels eternal. Cloudia Charters

Part of the Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project under I-580 in West Oakland. Designed by Oakland artist Pancho Pescador, in collaboration with Amana Harris, Attitudinal Healing Connection, lead artist David Burke, a team of local artists, and students from

West Oakland Middle School.

The one who views the

world at 50 the same way

they did at 20 has wasted

30 years of  life.

  Muhammad Ali

៚៚៚៚៚៚៚៚៚

Love You,

Pixie & Cloudia

៚ ៚ ៚

Linking To
Monday Murals

All you need is already within you, only you must approach yourself with reverence and love. Self-condemnation and self-distrust are grievous errors . . . Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Just Ducky

  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

I have always believed,
and I still believe,
that whatever good
or bad fortune
may come our way
we can always give it
meaning and
transform it into
something of value.
Hermann Hesse

Sailing slow to inner peace, Wave inside and wave released—

Ocean’s heart and outer blue Mirror all the soul Goes through. Cloudia Charters

It is only through shadows that one comes to

know the light. Catherine of Siena

ᬒᬒᬒᬒᬒᬒᬒ

Love You,

Cloudia & Pixie

ᬒ ᬒ ᬒ

Linking To
Saturday Critters

A little quack, a lot of heart,

Just ducky!

Fountain

  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

Rainbows are made

of small raindrops.

Happy lives are made

from acts of kindness

Amit Ray

The heart once burdened now takes flight Embraced by quiet inner light. Cloudia

When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from those who have never left home. Rumi

Pink Shrub Rose

Perhaps the most comforting thing about growing old gracefully is the increasing ability not to take things too seriously. Henry Miller

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. Washington Irving

ꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃꢃ

Love You,

Cloudia & Pixie

ꢃ ꢃ ꢃ

Linking To 
Weekend Reflections & Street Photography
Skywatch
Feline Friday
Friday Faceoff
Floral Friday

Where We Ought To Feel

  A  L  O  H  A 

From

Honolulu

Half of our mistakes in life arises from feeling where we ought to think, and thinking where we ought to feel. John Churton Collins

After rain, each droplet holds miniature worlds on a leaf. Sometimes little things are more than enough. Each raindrop carries the sky. Around us, life bursts with miracles sunshine, a leaf, raindrops. pages in the book of nature.

stories to my eye.

Cloudia Charters

If you feel pain,

you're alive.

If you feel

other people's pain, you're a human being. Tolstoy

To listen to stars and birds, 

babes and sages, 

with open heart;

To let the spiritual, 

unbidden and unconscious,

 grow up through the common-

-this is my symphony.

William Henry Channing

1810 - 1884 

ඔඔඔඔඔඔඔඔඔඔඔ ඔ

Love,

Cloudia & Pixie

ඔ ඔ ඔ

 Links
Thankful!
I Like Thursday
Thankful Thursday
SkyWatch
Floral Friday
Jaipur Garden Affair
H2O Thursday