The small magic of white flowers in the moonlight

“I am your moon and your moonlight too
I am your flower garden and your water too. I have come all this way, eager for you
Without shoes or shawl
I want you to laugh
To kill all your worries
To love you
To nourish you.”
― Rumi 

There is something about white flowers that draws me to them, even more than colorful flowers. Maybe it is the romance of a moonlight garden, something I have always wanted.

But I spent my lunch hour recently at a local greenhouse, photographing just the white flowers there.

the sheep live outside the greenhouse and were just a bonus of the afternoon...

I have been known to waste time googling 'moonlight gardens', like this article on how to create one, or pinning photos of white flowers to this board.

(Trust me, that board is just too beautiful not to click on)

And I have painted other white flowers along the way too, here and here....

I love color 

and I love just about every flower, 

wild or cultivated.

Does anyone hate a flower?

But for me,

 the white flowers hold the most magic.

Like they have a secret to tell...

A pure thought just waiting to be whispered in your ear

If you just take the time to listen.

A few weeks ago I posted about my idea of small magic, and that I planned to make a monthly post on the 13th to show what I find magical. I had planned to add a linky tool so others could link with their posts about how they all find small magic. I am now using blogger on my Ipad, and for some reason the linky tool will not work for me, but if you have a post about small magic you want to share, please leave a link to it in your comment and maybe I will have the tool thing worked out by next month on the13th... 

I hope you feel like joining in, and I can't wait to see what you have to say about 

what  charms you, 

What enchants you,

Or what takes your breath away!

How to find small magic in life

"It's all a matter of paying attention, being awake in the present moment, and not expecting a huge payoff. The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.”
― Charles de Lint

Most of my life I have been in search of small magic,

the kind of magic that is real and quiet and makes our days wonderful,

The kind that is in the little pleasures of life,

Things like treasure hunts with children,

Or planting herb gardens,

Or in quiet pine groves,

Or in the details of a feather...

Or creating a flower mandala...

Things we see all the time but in our rushed lives we often overlook.

Or in things we only see rarely but that fill us with small wonder when they do happen....

Like an unexpected moment when the wind blows and covers you with a soft snowfall of pink crabapple blossoms.

(A few years ago I made a video of the small magic in a feather here...I was very early on in my video making skills at that time but I still like it and hope you will too!)

(And another video here  of the small magic in a flower mandala... I was getting a bit better by this video. I think it is my favorite)

So for awhile now I had been thinking maybe I would make a post about my search, and try to show you all where I find small magic,

But I kept putting it off, until two things happened.

1. One of my daughters posted this on my facebook page...

(I had no idea that she or anyone really, was aware of how I felt about "magic" till she put it in words for me...)

"This right here is one of the many reasons I love my mama so much! She is so thoughtful and sweet, with a touch of magic on the side ;)Her loving energy and her constant push for us to see the magic in everyday life is what I will always remember her by. My childhood memories are full of books about spells and unicorns. We went on trips to the falls and cricks and rivers, where we would stack rocks and build houses out of sticks and stones and flowers for the fairies. My birthdays consisted of vibrant decorations and pins and hats that were hand made by my mother and full of flare! I remember treasure hunts, with maps that looked like a REAL pirate could have handed it over himself... And even to this day, she still finds a way to bring magic in my life! :) I can only hope that I become even HALF the mother that you are, one day. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do, Mom. This little text has brightened my whole day and I can't WAIT to see the crystal you picked out for me!! I love you.. Yesterday, today and tomorrow♥ Forever and always!

• 

   

and 2. Nicolas, (a maker of fairy houses and much more, 

and a fan of following the same wonder one might have felt in childhood), 

suggested, after a conversation about needing magic in the world, that I make the idea a regular feature on my blog with a link....

So, now I have been hoping... if I added a linky thing at the bottom of this soon to be monthly post (starting this month on the 13th) that others would join in with posts of their own letting us know where they find...

wonder

and awe

and joy

And

Small magic!

“She wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes. She spoke to no one. She spent hours on the riverbank. She smoked cigarettes and had midnight swims...” 

― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

IF... Lesson

The lesson to be learned from this little ACEO (2.5x3.5) watercolor is...

 to be aware of wonder! Find the joy in the simple little things in life, the books, the hugs, the bubbles in the sink, the spring flowers and the squishy mud!