April 31st - May 7th: The Week Nature Was Both Beautiful and Terrifying

From Beauty to the Beast...Nature displayed it all

Hello dear friends! It's been quite a while since I've posted, and for that I apologize. There are many reasons why I've been absent for so long, but I won't bore you with the details. I'm just happy to be with you once again, and sharing That One Little Thing that has made each day this week a little better.

This week has certainly been a whirlwind in many ways. From celebrating my birthday, to spending time with family & friends, to anxiously watching the skies and praying the heavens would not fall.

Having lived in Central Texas for the better part of a decade, you would think I'd have grown used to springtime and the volatility of nature that is the hallmark of what I consider to be my favorite season. Spring, to me, has always represented a re-birth and the emergence of the beauty of the world God has created. The drab greys of winter give way to the gorgeous colors of the many blossoms and blooms, each different from the other, but still a wonder to behold. I always find the workings of nature to be amazing, from the way a fragile yellow blossom on a tomato plant will soon become a delicious treat...one I think is best enjoyed sliced with just a dusting of salt, to the renewal of the many forms of life that exist in nature. Of course for this renewal to take place rainwater is needed. For some places rainstorms are merely occurences that may hinder your plans for the day, causing you to have to carry an umbrella or wear a raincoat, but here in Central Texas spring rainstorms often come with the potential for damaging and even deadly acts of nature. This week was full of such storms. While, thankfully, I did not experience the damaging winds, hail, and

even tornadoes that many around me did, I did spend my fair share of time nervously watching out my window as the rain fell in waves and lightening crossed the skies.

Once the fury of nature had resided I was able to spend some time outside enjoying the beautiful blooms of the flowering plants on the patio. After the darkness of the storms, the varied and bright colors of the newly opened blooms were a joy to behold! As I was enjoying my time outside I was delighted to come across a baby Praying Mantis. I must admit, I was amazed to see just how tiny and cute they are as babies! Having never seen one in it's infacy I've always thought of them as being a somewhat alien and firghtening looking creature...not anymore! The Praying Mantis was not the only baby creature I came across this week, I also happened to find two tiny snails on one of the outside pet dishes. I know some people find snails, and especially slugs, to be gross (I will agree wholeheartedly on the slugs), but I feel I have a newfound appreciation for the humble snail. While they've always been a symbol of being slow and clumsy, I have personally witnessed one of these supposedly slow creatures cover quite a bit of distance, and in many cases vertically, not horizontally, in quite a relatively short amount of time...all while carrying it's "home" on it's back!

Well dear friends, I think I have taken up enough of your time for today. Thank you for taking the time to share in my journey to find That One Little Thing, and remember...it doesn't have to be the big things that make the day better, it can be as small as finding a tiny pile of pebbles seemingly undisturbed by the chaos of a Central Texas springtime storm, or the derpy look on the face of your beloved dog as you wake him from his nap.

Blessings,

Candi 💕

Photo credit: Lightening Skies - unknown, All others - Myself