Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail… Simplify, simplify.

Henry David Thoreau

There’s something to simplifying life. For over a decade, we dragged around boxes of memorabilia from childhood, high school, and college. We had to have a garage, shed, or extra bedroom just to store them! Through the years, we’ve been able to evaluate what is meaningful and what needs to be let go. What freedom! We are still in the process of simplifying. We have a neighbor who has yard sales often and comes by the house every now and then to see if we have anything we don’t want anymore. He pays us a little money for it and it’s a happy little arrangement. The less we have to manage and store, the better we feel.

The things in life which make us the more content are really the simple things, the stray gifts. An impromptu trip to the local rose garden, photos from a friend of baby robins in a nest, or a mini apple pie brought home by Jonathan one day all are things that fill the day with goodness. Here are just a few gifts from the last several months!

Top Row (left to right): 1) Our roses came out strong this year in April- better than last year! 2) The roses in the center are from the local rose garden. We took an impromptu tour of the garden on the way back from a doctor’s appointment. 3) The flowers on the right were brought to me for my birthday back in May!

Middle Row: 1) The scent of honeysuckle in the yard is heavenly! 2) Jonathan has been volunteering at a local museum while waiting to hear about jobs he has applied for. He stopped one day at Whataburger to get something to eat and thought to bring us each an apple pie. So thoughtful! 3) The last photo is of a card folder that holds four cards and envelopes. I’ve made six in the last few months for others who like to gift cards like I do! My card-making business is doing well with one order after another this year!

Bottom Row: 1) We love having birds in our yard! 2) The middle photo was sent to me by a friend in Pennsylvania. How sweet is this photo? That color blue is so pretty. 3) A friend in New Mexico took this photo during a garden tour. Someone had a meadow in their front yard. I love the “wildness” of this landscape.

I still enjoy finding stray gifts in my path and it’s neat to see others sharing theirs with me!