Monday, August 21, 2017 was eclipse day here in the US.  I live too far south to have noticed any difference in the sky.  To console myself for missing that photographic opportunity I did the next best thing and visited a local garden.  I was not disappointed. 

   The gardens were a mix of cacti, succulents, tropicals, trees and an array of garden flowers.  The variety and age of the trees was amazing. And then there were the flowers.  I didn't know that Echinacea came in so many colors.  I was especially drawn to the reds.  There is such beauty in the jumble of colors to be found in a flower garden.

     Visitors are treated to benches and chairs placed where they can sit and contemplate the gorgeous surroundings.  Sometimes it is just nice to sit and listen to the silence.  This is where I find the joy; in the moments of silence in between the chaos of life.

     My visit was a peaceful time.  Walking along the paths surrounded by trees and flowers was medicine for the soul.  I hope you feel some of that peace and joy in the featured photograph of red Echinacea.

 
     You know that feeling you get at the end of along day when you walk into your home and close the door?  For just a moment, perhaps mo longer than the span of a deep breath, there is joy.

     Joy doesn't necessarily come in a big package.  It doesn't come in the form of possessions.  Joy is found in the moments. Those small spaces tucked between every thing else that is going on around us is where joy is waiting to be found.

     My joy this morning came wrapped in the sound of a bird on the pond.  A trill in the silence to let me know he was there.  Joy was found in a bird's song that I had never heard before.

      I find many moments of joy within my home.  Home is more than a place.  It is a feeling; feeling safe, feeling sad and feeling joy.  Listen and watch for the joy to be found in the moments within your home.