A magical moment, a moment that I wish I could put into a time capsule and pull out again years from now. A moment I really want to remember. A moment I can look back on when my kids are grown and remember how perfectly magical this time in my life was. Inspired by Soule Mama

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I’m one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

Nadine Stair

“If I had my life to live over”

I have my life to live now and I don’t want to hold it, fear it or try and control it.

I want to be here…fully present in this moment!

“Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.” 

I printed these beautiful words by Nadine Stair & taped them to the cabinet in the kitchen that I see most often ( near where we do dishes..haha!) I’m hoping it will serve as a  reminder/ banner flying across my house…a reminder to be here & be present in this moments and stop worrying so much about the next one.

~Barefoot Mama

Blogging note: You have been encouraging, kind, motivating & you have been support when I really, really needed it. Thank you all so much!! So many wise woman gather here and share their hearts and I have learned so much from all of you.

Today I have to say a special “thank you” to my sweet fellow blogger and friend Petra. Petra, thank you for your encouragement and inspirational words on a day when I was really in need of some love. LOVE YOU!

 ~This Moment~ 

A magical moment, a moment that I wish I could put into a time capsule and pull it out again years from now. A moment I really want to remember. A moment I can look back on when my kids are grown and remember how perfectly magical this time in my life was. Inspired by Soule Mama

“Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun.”

~Mignon McLaughlin

 Enota

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.  ~Rachel Carson

Mountain retreat in GA

Where the beauty of nature has been allowed to be… Where Nature is treated as it should be and where man has been but has been with love……

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Connect

A place of beauty, a place to hear and a place to heal…

 putting those beautiful imaginations to work

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.  ~John Muir

Baby “Tarzan”

Treasures

School room on May 1st 2012

 ”Hello Teees”

 a “little” adventure

Wonder

My babies

They made it to the top of the hill….YAY!! They were so proud of themselves

I love how he’s looking at me in this photo.. He’s saying “YES!! We made it! With three kids and no one fell off the side of the mountain” LOL

I love that man

I think she was a little shocked by how cold the water was..haha!

‎”To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself” ~ Masaru Emoto

Even if my memory let’s this moment go, my soul will have it forever.

 ~Barefoot Mama

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.  ~William Shakespeare

My “magic in a bottle”

“Mom, this place has Magic” ~ Joanie

“I think you may be right” ~ Me

Blogging Note: Joining all my sweet blogging friends for the finale of the wonderful Leap into spring Photo Challenge!

Leap Into Spring! Photo Challenge”>

The wise woman within us remembers our goodness.
She speaks to us in our dreams,
through the rustling of leaves,
the signing of a stream,
the aroma of herbs and the call of the whippoorwill.
She encourages us to heal our wounds.
She asks us to remember our connection
to all that is beautiful and sacred.
She asks us to remember that we are part of all beauty.

-Deb Soule, Herbalist

I read this beautiful verse on  Moon Woman Rising 

It really made me think about the kind of woman I am, the woman I have been in the past and the woman I would like to evolve into, in the future.

  I think as a woman I have a calling to be deeply connected to the earth and the living things around me, a connection that I have to work toward finding and fight to keep in the midst of these busy days.

I believe there is a deeply powerful, connected, wise women somewhere in me…in all of us!

~ Barefoot Mama

Consider the life of Trees

Consider the life of Trees.
Aside from the axe, what trees acquire from man is incondsiderable.
What man may acquire from trees is immeasurable.
From their mute forms there flows a poise, in silence,
a lovely sound and motion in response to the wind.
What peace come to those aware of the voice and the bearing of Trees!
Trees do not scream for attention.
A tree, a rock, has no pretence, only a real growth out of itself,
In close communion with the universal spirit.
A tree retains a deep serenity.
It establishes in the earth not only its roots system but also
those roots of its beauty and its unknown consciousness.
Sometimes one may sense a glisten of that consciousness, and with such perspective, feel that man is not necessarily the highest form of life!

~Cedric Wright

They Commune by Ron Lampi

“….They are closer to the stars then we realize. 

 So much, If we could but find that one Thread That draws us into the weave, SO much they could tell-

I believe there is much they could teach us, if we would stop to feel their energy, connect with their Joy & listen to their voice….

 ~ Barefoot Mama

Leap Into Spring! Photo Challenge”>

Blogging Note:   I FINALLY created a facebook button for this space..yay! I’m not great with computers, so I was pretty excited that I figured out how to do it:)) Now let’s just cross our fingers that it actually works..lol

~ Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862

When I sit quiet on the earth I can begin to feel the struggle. It sends grief through my body and that is all I need to know that we need to change what we are doing. “We” meaning me and my family. I cannot nor do I want to tell anyone else what they should be doing. I just want to change what we do here on this little piece of earth, with a hope that somehow that can and will make a difference.

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.  ~David Orr

 Krisha at Recycling Mama challenged herself to list 3 things that she would like to do, to slow down the damage being done to the Earth at her expense and I thought this would be a great thing for us to do together as a family.

Poster by Max Temkin 

Here are the 3 things we would like to do in 2012, to decrease the damage we are doing to this beautiful earth.

1. Stop buying plastic bottled water

2. Harvesting Rain water..CAN’T WAIT!

3. Hang our clothes on the line

These things are small but they are something.

My “Magic in a bottle”

(While we were making our list)

“Niyah, can you think of anything we could do this year to show the earth how much we love and appreciate her?”  -Me

“We should dance under the moon every night” ~ Niyah

“That is the best idea so far” ~ Me

This hit straight to the heart for me. In that moment her heart served as a great reminder to me that…. It’s not all about the act, it’s also about the heart.

Let the earth know you love her

~ Barefoot Mama

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.  ~Native American Proverb

 ”A weed is just a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

After seeing this in the paper, I couldn’t resist the urge to look them up. To my surprise most if not all were edible. Not only edible but GOOD FOR US!!! This peaked my interest ( big time) and since then I have been having a blast learning more about ALL the wild edibles that surround us. I am border line obsessed..haha! It amazes me that these things are so readily available and so good for us and that I had NO IDEA!!!

Then came the huge…. WHAT IF??

What if the things we needed to heal our bodies were growing right under our feet? 

Here are just a few links to the Articles I’ve read on these “aggravating” weeds.

Dandelions

crabgrass

Thistle

Clover One link that could be useful on Clover

Chickweed, Chickweed, Also, a blog post on Chickweed from The bewitching life

 Edible Wild Plants

“They are trying to help us and we are doing everything we can to kill them”  

Some call it noxious weed. Others see it as powerful medicine.

I don’t know enough about foraging “weeds” to go out and start eating everything in my yard, but I do know enough to know how badly I want to learn more and I know one thing for damn sure…I most certainly do not want to kill them anymore.

(This is from an online plant study I’m participating in..)

Tip 1:

Right now, please think of one reason that
learning about edible wild plants will contribute
to your life.

Take a deep breath and sit with that one intention for a moment. 

                                       I did this and what came to mind is One word… 

Life

I am going to take Susan Weeds advice and take 10 minutes a day for 10 days and just sit with the plants I would like to know about. Sit and listen and see what the plant has to say….

~ Barefoot Mama

Blogging note: I DO NOT know very much about these plants so please do your own research. Also, I welcome any and all articles, links, books suggestions, posts you’ve written about foraging, your experience would be greatly appreciated..PLEASE share!! Love you guys!

I dislike labels, especially when they are put on me

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.  ~Raymond Hull

What label would the world give me??

Christian, Witch, Fat, Ugly, Crazy, Sweet, Hippie, Bitchy, Opinionated, Timid, bad skin, good skin, Worried, Atheist, Optimist, unrealistic….

I wonder…

But you have to realize
I can be all these things you project on me
Cause I’m beautiful to me

I need that to be enough for you
Need that to be enough for you
Cause It’s enough for me

Lyrics to LOVELY by Sara Haze

I don’t want to label you, I want to appreciate you for who you are, where we are..realizing that we are different and beautiful in our differences.

~Barefoot Mama

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
~ Margaret Mead

 Blogging note: I FINALLY updated my “Blogs I LOVE” page!!! YAY! I added a Couple of my friends that should have been on here FOREVER ago:))

Welcome Michelle ( love you!!) & Amanda ( thank you for being you!)…..I am so glad that you guys are officially stamped on this space:))

 Searching out light

I want to live in light, the kind that sets my soul on fire and lights up the path I’m on (or the one I should be on)

 We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
~Plato

I have found light in learning to LOVE deeply and without fear, in soul laughter, in Being present in a beautiful moment or any moment for that matter, in Nature, in those moments when my mind is quiet and I can feel the presence of something greater than myself.

I think for each of us light is different and we probably speak many different languages as to its origin. But I think we all need it, we long for it & we hope that when we find it, we will have the courage to embrace it.

Wishing you the courage you need to search out and embrace the light around you, 

~ Barefoot Mama

Blogging note: Thank you, Kristi & Alicia for hosting this inspirational photo challenge & THANK YOU Rebecca  for hosting and also for ALL of your help! You guys rock!!! 

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