A grumpy monotone voice comes from the backseat, a snappy comment to his brother. Hush… Not even halfway there, another abrasive comment. Shush… don’t be so mean! A day that feels like a year later, he hops back into the car, no words at all. Then, without warning, like lightening in a heat storm he...
oh, patty! tears! i could have written a similar post last night! thinking our son was being flippant and disrespectful…tears sprang to his eyes when he (brand new to football) confides that he can’t remember the plays…that no one he knows is in his honors class…that if his freshman gpa tanks he can’t go to college…OH MY. may we remember faster that these still waters run so very deep. xoxo
I don’t know where to begin – your writing is amazing. Woven in among the words and images of your child were my teenage years, my daughter’s, my brother’s, my step-son’s, my husband’s, my dad’s. You have an amazing gift. You have touched my life today. Thank you.
Beautiful and oh so true. We are going through a similar routine with my teen son. So many feelings, so much growing up to do, so much right there at the cusp.
This is so precious. I couldn’t but smile when I read this!
Patti, so well put…it’s as if you’ve read my mind (although my oldest is much younger). How I dread these teenage years…. but at the same time I look forward to them in anticipation of the glimpses of the men that my boys will become. Lovely photos and words.
wow, what a sweet post dedicated to your son!
Beautiful Patty – and a stunning young man too. It’s so easy to snap at the surface behaviour, and not go deeper with our boys isn’t it?
Sniffle. Tearing up and crying because AH…boys. Boys are wonderful.
Love it.
Love it. Please ignore the previous link, autocorrect is not so correct sometimes:).
This post really hit home for me, too. My son is 20 now, and figuring out what’s bugging him is like pulling teeth sometimes. Those father-son talks are precious.
what a beautiful, heart filled post
So precious. Such insight. Thank you. Truly our kids are designed with purpose.
Ok, I am teary eyed with the others! There are days when mama bear just needs to step back and bite her tongue–like this morning!!! Love your words, sweet friend, and your pics (and the picture of the tree!!!)
I am going to attempt your oatmeal cookies tomorrow. We have a pasta pump-up on Friday, and I need to take a dessert! Keep your fingers crossed that they turn out to be edible!
Hugs!
Susan
Goose bumps…beautiful
wow, what an incredible boy-heart… such love for the world… beautiful, friend. you mother well. xo
ps. i hope you can join me for imperfect prose.
This is so sweet. What a special boy you have there. It’s wonderful that, if one of you isn’t able to get through, that the other one is. Tag-team.. the perfect partnership. 
It’s a difficult age to be, right? I was also a “deep thinking” teenager. Luckily, over time I lightened up a little bit. LOL. He seems to be a really great kid!
These photos are simply beautiful – they tell such a story.
patty . such a gift you have to tell a very special story..you have a really wonderful son..he is the lucky one to have you such caring..such insights
A mother’s heart beautifully shared in words and pictures. What a gift you have! Your creativity AND your son!
This is my tree, my favorite tree. It sits there, right in my line of view as I make that turn, every day. On this particular morning, we had quite a mist. The sun had just broken over the mountain tops, and lit up the mist like a veil. My settings to my camera were...
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Oh Patty…you are wonderful and so sweet to write me a note on top of providing such a lovely photo. And so good to be able to submit it right as the last minute. Life certainly does keep us busy so I understand. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Your tree is stunning Patty!
Wonderful! I just wanted to let you know; in case you didn’t find it on my blog. I’m from South Africa!
I love that. I have a favorite tree as well. And this is gorgeous. No mistake about it.
Beautiful tree photo and beautiful blog!
SO happy you did not delete this stunning image..oh goodness you are a very special person…swirling schedules and all..hang in there!!
Cathy’s image is on the left; mine is on the right ***** Did I ever tell you that I had a coffee shop? Actually, I built the coffee shop, and ran it for two years before selling it. It’s still open, still serving from my menu. There’s a lot of story behind that, but I...
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patty, you are one of the most interesting and energetic women i know…would have loved to have met you at java garden where, i’m sure, your smile lit the place!
ahhh, quiet after the storm…perfect words for our dip.
Thank you for visiting me the other day…your blog is lovely!! I am a tea person…once upon a time it was coffee for me but I switched but I must say I love the smell of coffee..happy weekend. xo
as I sit here with my coffee, I feel so much more relaxed than I did BEFORE i visited. I think your blog might be MAGIC!
Goodness, your pictures are heavenly! WOW! I love your lake pictures…the shots of the wakeboarding are AMAZING. You are gifted with words too. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!
Hi Patty! I left you a comment earlier, but I think I messed it up. That’s quite possible – LOL! Thank you so much for your sweet comment on my blog. Your pictures are FANTASTIC. I scrolled down quite a ways, and they are just exceptional. I love the wakeboarding shots – so cool! Happy Friday!
I like the close ups. Coffee, can’t go wrong there. And the water droplets look lovely. I like how they are both related to morning time, or at least to me.
You owned a coffee shop, I worked at one! Whalah ~ perfect match! I also love the colors of green and brown. I have also slipped into the habit, of loving my coffee hot, no matter the temperature outside. This is a trait I learned from my grandmother, so I don’t plan on fighting this gene. Friends make fun of me, but it is who I am at the core. Something about the warmth, the smell, and the comfort of it all brings me happiness. Just so you know, I drink my coffee every morning in my kitchen painted green. Happy Weekend.
Everything about this feel natural and warm. Comforting. I love it!
Lovely shots!! Yours AND hers!! ;D
I had a bridal shop in SoCal that I started, put my heart and soul into, sold when we moved just to have the new owners default and bail on it. Broke my heart that it’s gone!! *sigh*
I love a good rainstorm… I’ll have to go with the hot chocolate with marshmallows or whip cream on top, though. I’m not much of a coffee lover. LOL!! Good thing coffee shops have cocoa, too, usually. ((HUGS))
Thank you for birthing Java Garden, still one of my favorite spots and the Strawberry Salad is still my favorite lunch. I used to go there and have coffee with the “old man’s club,” as I called it. They would all see my husband in the bank or on the street and ask where I’d been if I missed a morning or two. Won’t be long and I can start that “Old Ladies’ Club!”
Mmmm, two of my favorite things… they go together so well. I often have coffee out in the garden.
I really like the coffee mug too; looks like just the right heft.
Thanks for visiting me and the lovelies the other day:)
Love the pic, but really interested in you owning a coffee shop!
as i make my way through your posts i am filled with such beauty..lovely images to wash over me. What GREAT name for a coffee shop!
i think i’ll start a pot of coffee:)
It happens as abruptly as a slap in the face. The world becomes a different place. The ground moves. The earth stands still. The moon lights up day, And the sun shines at night. Monsters are real. {It’s scary in bed, And safe in the closet.} Coffee is good cold. The dog purrs. The cat...
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breathtaking. the photos, yes. but the words even more.
Absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking as indicated above. Couldn’t agree more. Be Inspired Today! Love and Light, Sender
I always love how you compose a message with your words and photos. Beautiful…just beautiful.
this is stunning. the colors and images in the photos but the words… the flipflopping of what you expect reads as hope instead of despair and i just love this!
ah you bring it to a fabulous close…we can b/c we are all broken in some way…loved the macros…particularly the butterfly with ripped wings…peace.
patty,
you bring such beauty into my life.
you know that.
I love serendipity, and am always amazed at how it happens. Beautiful images.
Gloria
Imperfections make life beautiful – thank you for reminding me
stunning photos…and i love that flowers with damaged petals are beautiful, and butterflies with tattered wings can fly…
much like ourselves…
LOVE the photos. Just beautiful.
I especially love the coffee butterfly.
My favorite.
oh oh, and the grace and redemption in the broken and torn. Gorgeous. LOVE. IT!
oh patty, i LOVE your blog… it’s so … soul-filling. i am a tattered flower and i am beautiful, and i thank you for helping me know this. love to you, friend. xo
Love the broken wing comment/photo. I could see this on a billboard advertisement for a non-profit organization…just sayin’ – it’s reallllly goooooood!
“butterflies with tattered wings can fly”
Thank you for reminding me that there is beauty in the midst of imperfections and brokenness. Your photos and prose are lovely.
“Flowers with damaged petals are beautiful,
And butterflies with tattered wings can fly.”
Really loved that. Just what I needed to hear today. These imaged were all incredible.
Oh, my gosh! These photos are perfection!! I hope I’m someday this good!!
So profound my friend…thanks!
your photos are gorgeous! the pink echinacea photo is my particular favourite.
5:00. It comes early. My fingers fumble for the button. I think I ask, Is your alarm on? And from deep within sleep, I hear, Yes. He holds the blankets up for me and I snuggle deep into his strength, like every morning, and we drift. 5:20. He says, It’s still too dark. I thought...
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always blessed and inspired when I visit. The light is so lovely here.
You almost make me want to wake up at five. HAHAHA.
No.
But.
I’m glad you witnessed and preserved, because here I am enjoying it, and I woke up at 7:30!
Wow – that light is incredible! What a precious time that you get to share with your boys.
The light! I love the way you’ve captured the day…from your first eye open.
Gorgeous, all of it.
Patti — Wow! That’s about all I can say.
Wow at the beautiful light,
and WOW that anyone would get up at 5:30 AM to go skiing!
Double WOW!
I think my favorite photo is the one with your son skiing and the golden water spraying up. Beautiful
How do you do it?! The light on the water is so beautiful!
Once you drag out of bed, isn’t it so worth the freshness and witnessing the beginning of the day…
I didn’t want this to end.
submit these , this somewhere.
you have a gift .
thank you for your comment box love, it’s so hard to keep up in the summer.
we are winding down now. how about you?
I know you spoke of some changes… is everything good?
My son returns to his college and a house he shares with friends in a week , about an hour away , so he comes home when he can .
My oldest daughter is about 7 hours away, and the next about 5 -6 .
You really do witness and capture it all. And that sounds like the perfect way to start a morning.
What fantastic photography! I love the early morning and late evening light as well. Beautiful blog. I will definitely be returning.
Totally and completely in awe of these photographs. And your beautiful words are the icing on the cake. Wow.
Hi! Visited from Emily’s site, and I love this site and the post here. Actually, my internet is slower than dial-up if you can believe it, and your pictures won’t load (the struggle of living overseas–argh), but I read all the words, and they alone are gorgeous. I can just imagine the images that you have shone to go with them. Thanks for writing of beauty.
Laura
A 31 Days Series on Nurturing Her Self-Esteem
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