Goodness of Creation ~ Arthur Gish

"The best way to affirm the goodness of creation is to use it properly  and give all people equal access and rightful stewardship responsibilities to it.  This means good stewardship of what has been given to us, conservation, and non-exploitation. One treats the environment with respect and therefore does not waste or pollute it. It means taking care of what we have and not accumulating more than we can take care of. An affirmation of the goodness of creation leads to passionate concern for economic and social justice."

 ~ Arthur Gish

More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Gish

Artwork from R S Badmin
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Roy_Badmin

So Simple ~ Monica

 "The sky was clear and blue, and the sun sparkled on all three inches of pool water. Off in the distance I could hear the hum of an air conditioner, and much closer, the song of birds. The air smelled fresh and clean. My brain was parked in neutral. I was having that elusive experience that is a complete moment of peace.

I had the presence of mind to ask myself, how did I obtain this moment? How can I have more?

One thing I noticed was that in my peaceful moment, I was engaging almost all of my senses. Everything I saw, heard, touched, and smelled was calm and pleasing. The other thing I noticed was that I was completely engaged in the moment. There were no thoughts of what needed to be done or what happened yesterday. It was full immersion in the present. What a blessing it is to focus on being and not doing, to celebrate and give praise to what life is at that very moment. Oh, it's so simple and yet so rare!

So here is another lesson I learned on obtaining a more peaceful life. Take time to live in the moment. Engage all of your senses in that moment. Most importantly, plan for peaceful moments, and if you can't plan, then be on the look out for random moments of being still that you can cultivate into quiet moments of joy."

~ Monica

More of this outstanding blogg at 
 http://www.blueskiesandshooflypies.com/

Artwork Rom Welsh-Canadian artist Valeriane Leblond
http://www.valeriane-leblond.eu/home.html

Divine Pleasures ~Thomas de Quincey

“Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o'clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without.”

~ Thomas de Quincey

More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_De_Quincey 

I am unable to find the artist, sorry!

Thoughtless ~ Amish Rules of a Godly Life

"Be especially diligent to keep free from the vulgar thoughtless habit of swearing and the profane use of the holy name of G_d. It is indisputable evidence of a frivolous, impious, and ungodly character. It is also true that he who seeks with oaths to add strength and truth to his words is seldom a man of integrity; for if he has no scruples against misusing G_d's name, why should one suppose that he has any conscience against lying? "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matt. 5:37). And that you might the better avoid profaneness, seek not the companionship of the profane, where you, too, may through familiarity fall into the habit."

 ~ Amish Rules of a Godly Life

More att http://hayquaker1.blogspot.com/p/rules-of-life-translated-by-joseph.html

Change The World ~Margaret Mead

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

~Margaret Mead

More at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mead

Artwork from P J Crook 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._J._Crook

Simple, Genuine Goodness ~ Louisa May Alcott

“Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.” 

~ Louisa May Alcott

More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisa_May_Alcott

Artwork from  Paige Koosed http://www.koosed.com/index.html

Pulsing with Sentience ~Joel Salatin

"All of creation is pulsing with sentience: when the sunflower tracks the sun across the sky, when the maple tree withholds its sap in a windstorm so that if a big branch falls it will have enough sap to run to the wound. Appreciating these things elevates our reverence, awe, and wonder to a higher plane. When you kill something on a video game, you wait five seconds and it gives you a new icon. But when you go out to the garden and the tomato plant is dead, that’s it. The gravity of that situation helps to create a frame of reference to how we interact with each other. Sometimes we become so disconnected that we don’t have a frame of context for what true sacrifice is....

As people become more disconnected, they become disempowered. At the same time, government agents and the bureaucracy is addicted to this manipulative attitude: oh, we can just manipulate the market and health, as opposed to realizing that, fundamentally, we are very, very dependent and this is the posture that G_d wants us to have. It is the mutual dependency; a servant’s heart toward each other. When our hands are in the soil, when we are actually thinking about our dependence on air, soil, water, microbes, and the magnificence of life, it gives us a better perspective on what is at our fingertips. It makes us a little more humble and a little less manipulative, and a little more appreciative of other people’s abilities, gifts, and talents. I think that is true diversity."

More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Salatin

Artwork from Eric Ravilious

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ravilious