She knows she is pretty, as she dances from flower to flower, never stopping to wave goodbye. They lead fascinating little lives, they do. Oh, how I envy her, never having to worry if beauty is in the eyes of the beholder or if it is enough to be a butterfly. She just is.

The gift of love
The gift of peace.
The gift of happiness.
May the joy continue to radiate in your lives,
Long after this post is gone, gone, gone.

I watched “Pretty in Pink” again last night. For like, the gazillionth time. In the movie, there are people who struggle with the labels they have been given/taken on for themselves. They fight with their own sense of honor and shame around wealth and poverty or about being alternative or "richies." Every little thing makes a difference. It matters where you live. It matters which door you walk out of at school. It seems so absurd on the surface, but if people are honest, these expectations, these barometers of honor and shame are real. In real life anyway. Like the movie, but different, right? There is a genius karaoke rendition of "Tenderness" by Otis Redding, offering another path and it shows how each character attempts to take that path in the end. Each tries a little compassion. It was a little bit fun extracting the message of the film. It's a reinterpretation of sorts.

Oh, yes. Anyone can be pretty in pink.

Where is the love?
Buried alive, deep inside my heart?
Where dreams live that I haven’t dreamt, and when I do, I shall never forget.

Not quite yet, she objects
Not quite yet

It's close to getting out those ornaments! You know I can hardly wait! Magic, lights, and glitter. Oh, my! Unwrap your day with a twist of holiday magic. Embrace all that is shiny and bright with the day and share it with others around you. May that feeling of Christmas last forever, not for just one day… for loving, sharing, giving – and not to be put away like ornaments, lights, and tinsel on some box on a shelf.

Oh, come all ye faithful. July 12th! Coming to a Hallmark near you!

A flower. There must always be a flower. I dedicate this picture to #MondayRed #ColorChallenge by @Kalemandra who always colors my world. Every. Single. Day. And I thank her.

¸.♥´¸.•♥*¨) Let the sun shine in on your life
So the joy may touch your soul
(¸.•´♥ (¸.•´ ♥

mňau? meow? miaou?miau? miauw?

I am so misunderstood!!! Doesn't anybody speak kitty-cat?

Technically, Saturday is #Caturday, but, then I got all wrapped up and forgot! So it is so very late, but, I present you my kitty. Miss Kitty to you.

How to post for #Caturday

Find your cat
Make it strike a pose - or whatever :)
Click it
Post it
Make sure you hashtag #caturday
You are done!!!

And just like that, this post is over! I hope you took it in humor that Christmas in July is real. According to Hallmark and those that are in the know, July 12 is the celebration of Christmas in July, which happens to be on #MarketFriday. How lucky is that? So gather those ornaments and let's throw up a tree, just for a day or three. As always, I wish you an amazing day and thank you for stopping by and giving me a read.

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Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Because of you, I come back to post again and again, I am encouraged by you, for the time you take to visit, comment or even upvote. For all of these reasons, I am eternally grateful. Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people. Let's hold hands around the globe and make this earth really spin. Some days, it is not as easy to see, how wonderful it really is. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

I always post this poem down at the bottom of my posts. It is one that has become so near and dear to my heart. I only post the most famous part of it, but, wanted to post it in its entirety today.

they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who use to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?

i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.

later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered,
"where does it hurt?"
it answered,

"everywhere"
"everywhere"
"everywhere"

warsan shire

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