...refueling and unexpected happy visits.

yesterday i was in dire need of some personal reflection time.  

so i carved out a few hours in my day (i say "carved" because sometimes thats what i have to do...i have to "create" personal time...do you too?)  and i drove to a place i love to go when i need to get away from the noisy, worldly, chaos that sometimes swirls heavily around me.

have you ever been to arizona in the spring?  

or anywhere else when the citrus trees are just coming into bloom?

if not, let me just share with you that the air is perfumed with the most glorious smell.  it was this sweet scent that greeted me 

and put me instantly at ease.  

then the busy buzzing of bees caught my attention...

huge bees.

huge bees in flight.

i thought to myself how ironic it was that they too...

had come to this place for nourishment.  for sweet personal nectar.  

i spent the next few hours in peaceful contemplation.

in a beautifully quiet place with no judgement.  only love.  

unimaginable love.

i emerged at peace.

and just had to capture the beauty of it all.

colorful reminders 

"little purple pansies touched with yellow gold"

(do you know that song?)

and then one of the best gifts of the day came to me...

...he zoomed right in front of my lens.

(look at his tiny tongue.  hummingbirds have tongues right?)

my mom loved hummingbirds.

ever since she passed away we.ve had lots of unexpected visits from these dear creatures.  my children and i like to believe that they are little messengers sent from grandma ann.  her way of sending love and letting us know that she is aware of us.

thank you mom!  

i know you were present and i love you!

(i hope all of you can carve out a tiny bit of time for yourself.  soon. go be nurtured.  fed.  refueled.  whatever that may mean for you!)