Since losing my mom in 2012 and all the changes that year--moving, leaving a dream job, Double D's heart problem, my son's challenges--I am finally feeling like I want to LIVE; truly live and experience all life has to offer. As my mother's example taught me: don't wait to do your living because we are not promised one single day or even good health to enjoy the days!
I've always been a fairly active person, but when 2012 delivered blow after blow, it...well...paralyzed me. Spending time with God and family AND blogging, was and is part of the healing. The deep gashes which ripped my soul apart are mending quite nicely. I am feeling a peace and confidence in my faith that I never dreamed possible. I'm in a good place mentally for the first time in a very long time. God has been faithful.
As with all phases of life, we grow, and sometimes outgrow, certain activities. I'm sure some of you already noticed that I haven't been visiting and posting as much the last few months. Well, I am not quitting my blog and will still be making visits, just not daily.
Thank you so very much for being part of my life. If you would like to keep up with me on a more frequent basis, please connect with me on Facebook. I will welcome you with open arms. Mondays will be my day for blogging so that I can stay connected with my wonderful blogging friends. I hope you will continue on with me.
I found this sweetie at an abandoned home on a large piece of property. These are my best pics to date of the Orange-crowned Warbler. Thank you for looking!
58 comments:
Oh Gail I love seeing you on Facebook I would truly miss you and your incredible photos if I did not go there. Yes life indeed does throw us lots of things that can slam us down but you are here and stronger for it. Life does go on and I am so proud of your believing you can do anything. Sending lots of hug. Enjoy your life your Mom would want that for you.ox B
Hello Gail, I love your Orange Crowned Warbler images. I have yet to see a clear view of one of these pretty birds.. I am happy to see you and your images on facebook and on your blog.. I wish you a happy week ahead!
hij is al mooi bezig met verzamelen om een nestje te gaan bouwen.
As a latecomer, I didn't know your history. Congratulations on getting through it all. I will continue to look forward to your photography.
Hello Gail!:)Your Orange Crowned Warbler photos are beautiful.He must have been making a nest! I'm not on Facebook, but will come to see your blog with pleasure.
Stay in your good place.
Warm Regards.
Your photos are amazing! This bird is a little beauty and you show us all of it!
My sweet friend, I completely understand and I am so thankful to hear you are at a place where you are enjoying life :) I will miss you, but I am glad to hear you will still be "sort of" around :) You have been a blessing and joy in my life and I am so thankful for you.
Enjoy your week, my friend. Love and hugs to you!
Wonderful shots of that green bird!
I get it Gail and am so happy you are doing great. I just bounced over to FB I'm there a lot as well. Looking forward to your post here as well as there. happy shooting buddy!
Awww, I am so glad your heart is being healed, so so glad. I am happy that you will still be here, and hey, I've gone through my times of being present in blogland and times of hibernation when my heart needed it. Beautiful photos, and I've never seen one of these in person.
Just sent you a friend request!! xo
Hi Gail,
These pictures are really great.
This bird is not in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately I have no facebook, so I like to come to your blog.
Best regards, Irma
Your photos are the best I've ever seen and I surely will look for them on your Facebook page. As for blogging, I will continue on with you for sure. No question, there. Thank you for sharing all from your good place.
Sorry it took you into 2015 to get your juju back. Congrats. I'm happy for you.
Loved your shots.
i don't fb, but i'll stick with you whenever you feel like blogging. :)
I'm glad to hear that you are in a good space now, Gail.
I spend little time in Facebook.. where I do see you posting. :) But blogging is my first true love and it's here that I'm more likely to comment more extensively.
Gorgeous photos of this little guy.
Gorgeous photos, as always. I would never have guessed he had "orange" in his name! I'm glad you're not totally giving up on your blog - I haven't on mine, either, although I don't post even as often as you've been lately. But I'm glad we're connected on Facebook (even though there are times I don't even get on there!) At least I know where to find you. I'm so happy for you and your happiness shines from your photography and words. You deserve it! xoxo
Okay, I klicked on your FB page. Love the warbler hard at work gathering nest materials.
Of course I will continue to visit, and I do think for many of us, we can't always be blogging, but we do when we can. Sometimes it keeps me up later than I should, oh well, but it's fun to share and to be a part of other's world and to offer smiles, and all that good stuff that keeps us coming back to our own blogs. See you when I see you! Enjoy your day.
Simply breathtaking Gail...beautiful, serene, and such color and peacefulness.
I will make it a habit of stopping by on Mondays then since I don't do facebook. And thank you ever so much for sharing this link at I'd Rather B Birdin' -aka The Bird D'Pot-
Gail, your photos are always gorgeous !
I really enjoyed to watch this beautiful green bird !
Greetings
Very cool, I just noticed you're on Facebook, I will check it out, it's always the best way to keep up with folks, and I forgot to say, I love these photos!
Gorgeous shots as always Gail! I am not blogging as much as I did either. Enjoy life sweet lady!
So glad you are living the good life! I love your National Geo-quality photos, and will continue to follow you!
So good to hear things are looking up for you in a deep sense - and wonderful to see your amazing captures again too Gail.
happy to hear you are feeling great and ready to face what lies ahead. I will be staying with you on the blog,I don't want to miss any of those super photos you post,but we are also connected on FB.
Beautiful shots of the warbler and the milkweed! Always love to see your posts!
So glad you are feeling vital, enthused, and at peace Gail.
Always glad to see you, no matter where... sending huge hugs.
Oh, and if you didn't know, you uplift others as much... if not more... as you feel uplifted by them.
First...the bird photos are amazing! Amazing! Now, on to your decision about your blog: I totally understand. Facebook has changed blogging for so many bloggers--for websites, as well. There is only so much time we can put into the "social media." I don't know how anyone can do a daily blog post, and I know there will be a need for more than a Facebook post to share your wonderful photos. I'll see you wherever you are!
Gorgeous, as always, and I will be friending you on FB!
Such a gorgeous series of photos of this lovely little warbler. I'll keep on stopping by, Gail. for your beautiful, inspiring photos and words. See ya!
Love the detail in these shots. That's the prettiest shade of green!
I love these photos Gail, and your photography. I am so happy you are continuing blogging if not as often. I am not a big visitor to Facebook. I am so happy you are in a good place my friend. Take good care of yourself and have a wonderful week.
Fantastic pictures!
I am glad to read that you're recovering and healing after all the problems you had and the loss of your mom, Gail. I know the feeling when you loose your mom. I felt terribly lonely (among all family) after my mom passed away. And paralyzed too, yes that's a good definition for that feeling. Take your time to do the things you want now your joy of live is returning. Blogging is nice but there are also other things in live. Take good care of yourself. In the meantime I've sent you a friend request for FB. Greetings from the Netherlnds, Joke
Life can be a struggle, God has to hold me together through a lot, praise music is what gets me through the day. I'm glad you are doing better. I can't understand posting daily on a blog, weekly is all I can manage. I enjoyed seeing such a green bird, very unusual, and so cute. I liked all the shots, but particularly 3 and the one where it only hold on with one foot. Such a cute busy bird!
gorgeous, really gorgeous!!! this is a beautiful, well written entry. i was not with you in 2012, i am happy to hear your are healing and enjoying life more. it does seem as if you are!!!!
Your photos are always an inspiration to me, Gail! See you on FB!
Oh another new bird for me! I completely understand what you are saying here. When I started a photoblog ....mostly for my then 82 year old mom, I posted once in awhile...then I started to feel obligated, so I went to almost every day. I'm not sure why and who made me fell that way. Now I just enjoy blogging, lots of posts when I feel like it, less when I don't or I am out enjoying life! I so get that. My health struggles with Lyme Disease have shown me that life is a gift, we never should take for granted!
Glad you aren't leaving off blogging completely. I enjoy your photos so much. Sometimes life has a way of making us choose different things. There's nothing wrong with that.
Great captures of the busy bird.
Life does dish out some bad experiences, hope you will get over them soon and emerge stronger. :)
Lovely shades of green in this pretty bird. Have a great week, Gail!
I'm so glad you're in a better place now than you were in 2012. Blogging sometimes does have to fall by the wayside for a bit. I've definitely been visiting less frequently myself. It's about the quality of the visits anyway, not the quantity :)
Thank you for sharing your journey through a dark time and back into the light. I am glad you have finally found some peace. God is indeed so good! Your photos are wonderful. Really enjoyed them this morning.
Thank you for sharing your journey through a dark time and back into the light. I am glad you have finally found some peace. God is indeed so good! Your photos are wonderful. Really enjoyed them this morning.
These photos are so amazing. I do know how you feel. I have a hard time getting around and I have been trying to make sure I post at least once a week. I sure did miss it when I took my break. I don't really FB, I am addicted to Instagram. I am so glad you have made it to a happy place in life my friend. It is way to short not to be totally happy.
Hugs, Linda
My Happy Place
Glad to hear that you are coming good after your bad experiences. The bird photos are fabulous.
gail, happy to hear you're feeling great!of course i will continue to visit here and am so happy you're not leaving off blogging completely. see you on facebook my wonderful friend! gorgeous photos btw.
xoxo
I've always enjoyed your blog, Gail, and you're a great photographer! If posing less helps bring balance to your life, then that's a positive thing. I've never been able to post more than once or twice a week. Just don't have the time!
Truly magnificent birds Gail and I also do not need to post a daily blog. I do not and I can not. I work, my children and would like to photograph.
What I do like very much to read that you got through your blog so much support from your visitors at the sad things in your life. Now you bit by bit what processes you can get back other fun things to do. Go and enjoy it.
I can not follow on facebook because I have not.
Kind regards, Helma
A Beautiful bird and wonderful news that you will keep on blogging. I follow you on FB but find it difficult to "talk" to people there. So you will here from me once a week whether you want to or not )))
These beautiful birds connect us together.
I always enjoy your photos and journeys Gail!! Your talent in being able to see the picture and then take the photo is up there with the professionals. You do what you have to do, when you can do it. Yourself and your family is most important. Just remember, that the heart and soul has to heal just as the body takes time to heal when you become sick, has been damaged in an accident or hurt in some way! There isn't any rush, take your time and heal your heart and soul.
Your photos amaze me and I will enjoy them when you post!!
God bless you Gail and your family!
Okay, MY turn to be jealous! I've never been able to find an Orange-crowned Warbler that will hold still long enough for ANY shot and here you have a whole series of outstanding quality photographs! Obviously, this is a paid professional Warbler Model and the images were taken in a studio.
Very nice, Gail!
I may not visit you on Facebook as I'm "social media challenged", but I will certainly continue to visit your blog as long as it's available! Who knows, maybe I'll stick my big toe in Facebook eventually and see how it feels....
Take care!
Wonderful shots!
Glad to hear you will be still blogging Gail....you have a great outlook and one we can all learn from.
These images of the Orange Crowned Warbler are gorgeous....I have never seen this bird or even heard of it so thanks for bringing it to me.
Gorgeous bird!
Your bird photos are amazing! I do know how you feel about being smothered/paralyzed by life's blows and like you am beginning to desire life again... renewing daily time with the Lord was the biggest boost to me...
Too often we think that we need to stick to a regiment once started. It was good to read that blogging and posting helped you heal from some difficult times and that you are ready to move onward. Like so many others, I too have enjoyed your photography and will look forward to your occasional posts as I am a non-FB person as well. Good luck to you.
Sooooooooo special. I love these!!
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