Weddings by Rev. Laureen, LLC

11/15/2025

11/15/2025

A photographer captured a moment that feels almost too tender for this world 📸 — a tiny squirrel, mid-adventure, suddenly pausing to gently smell a daisy, as if it needed one quiet second to appreciate the simple beauty around it. 🌼

The photo, caught at the exact heartbeat of perfect timing, shows the little squirrel lifting itself onto its hind legs, nose pressed softly into the daisy’s fragile petals. It’s innocence, curiosity, and wonder wrapped into one tiny breath. Wildlife photographers spend countless hours waiting for moments like this — and when this image hit the internet, it instantly became a symbol of pure, unfiltered mindfulness.

Scientists note that squirrels explore life through scent and touch — but scenes like this reveal something deeper: their playful intelligence, their awareness, and their ability to interact with their world in ways that are surprisingly gentle.

In a world that rushes past everything meaningful, this tiny squirrel gave us a rare gift — a reminder to pause, breathe, and let ourselves notice the small, quiet miracles happening all around us.
Because sometimes, even nature needs a moment to stop… and smell the flowers. 🌿✨

11/15/2025

In Finland, children are learning the power of patience and empathy by reading to dogs and cows, animals that create a peaceful environment for them to focus and grow. These programs allow children to relax, build confidence, and enjoy reading without the pressure of judgment. The animals provide a comforting presence, reminding us that sometimes the most healing moments come from simple, peaceful connections. 🐾📖

11/15/2025

BREAKING: Maryland Governor Wes Moore announces that his state will add Democratic districts to balance out Republican gerrymandering: "Donald Trump is not going to choose what our democracy looks like."

MAGA's last ditch hope for the mid-terms just went up in smoke...

“If parts of this country are going to go through a mid-decade process to determine whether or not they have fair maps, then so will the state of Maryland,” Moore stated at the Texas Tribune Festival.

“Donald Trump is not going to choose what our democracy looks like. The people of Maryland will choose what our democracy looks like," he added.

Earlier this year, Texas Republicans set off an electoral arms race when they executed plans to dilute the franchise of Black and Latino voters by adding five new red-leading House seats after Trump specifically requested it. Blue states like California responded quickly by engaging in redistricting efforts of their own.

Governor Moore has created a bipartisan redistricting commission to explore the idea. He stated during the Tribune event that Trump has "started picking and choosing" which states undergo mid-decade redistricting. It's an undeniable point, since the Trump administration is currently suing California to block their new map while simultaneously endorsing what's going on in Texas.

“He didn’t call all of us. He called some of us," said Moore, adding that he doesn't understand “why some states should do this” while others are forced to "sit on their hands.”

“He knows he can’t win on policies. So what does he do? He changes the rules. He rigs the game," Moore said.

It's a well-observed point. If Trump were confident in his mid-term prospects, he wouldn't be desperately trying to scrounge up new Republicans seats in Congress. He knows that his disastrous tariffs, unpopular fascist ICE crackdowns, and rapidly worsening Jeffrey Epstein scandal spell disaster.

“I just deeply believe democracy cannot be a spectator sport. Democracy cannot be something where certain states are deciding and determining whether or not they have fair maps," Moore said.

“I will make sure that come next November, Maryland is voting with fair maps and we will have a representative democracy that actually reflects the wills and the hopes and the ambitions of the people of my state,” he added.

Please like and share!

11/15/2025

Margaret Maywalt

When Josh White learned that some people could lose their food benefits from the SNAP program on November 1, 2025, his heart broke. Josh is the owner of Heretic Coffee Co. in Portland, Oregon, and he thought about parents who might not have enough to feed their kids breakfast or lunch. That's when he made a brave choice.

Josh told his customers that anyone who lost their benefits could come in for a free breakfast burrito and a cup of coffee. He wanted his coffee shop to be a place where people felt seen, cared for, and never hungry. Some critics told him it was too much and that his business would go bankrupt. But in an interview with ABC News, Josh said, "That's fine. If we literally have to shut our doors, if we go broke making sure children have food for breakfast, I’m really OK if that’s the reason why we lose our business."

Then something incredible happened. The community came together, and people donated money from all over the world. In a short time, Heretic Coffee raised over $300,000 to serve free meals. Josh just wanted to help people in need and was willing to lose everything he worked for to do it. And as a result, he inspired over 11,000 people to help too. That's the true definition of selflessness.

📸 (Photo: Josh White / Heretic Coffee Co.)

11/15/2025

Extreme Northern Lights from last night over Tombstone Mountain Park, Canada 🍁

These scenes are unreal — some of the most breathtaking auroras Canada has seen all year. Waves of green, red, and violet rolling over the mountains like something from another world. 🌌✨

And tonight might be your last chance to witness a show this powerful.

This historic solar storm is still going strong, and bright auroras are expected again tonight — all across Canada and stretching into many U.S. states. From the northern Rockies to the Great Lakes and even parts of the Midwest, the sky could light up one more time.

Step outside and look up.
You do not want to miss the final night of one of the greatest aurora events of our lifetime. 🌠

11/14/2025

This photo of the sky lit up by the northern lights was sent to us by Shelby in Camillus. Thanks for sending this in! For a chance to be featured as our daily CaptureCNY, submit your photos at https://t.co/oEr06IqOjG or tag us on Instagram

11/14/2025

I saw this sign hanging the other day, and immediately I smiled. I smiled not only that it was a quote from Mary Oliver, who I’m sure you know by now was a great friend, as well as a poet who I admired dearly, but because it was a great reminder. And it was a reminder that I knew I should pass along. With so much craziness in the world, it can be hard to feel optimistic. It can be hard to feel hopeful. But we must. We must keep leaving room for the unimaginable moments, the glimmers of light! ✨

11/14/2025

"Many philosophers and scientists alike have claimed that consciousness has a cinematographic nature. When we project a film, it appears to be something continuous and long-lasting. But we know that the film consists of separate pictures that last only a fraction of a second. Consciousness is like that; it's only a flash, lasting just one millisecond. And because moments of consciousness succeed each other continuously, we have the impression that consciousness is something long-lasting. In fact. the permanent nature of consciousness is just an illusion.

It's like a flame on the tip of a candle. You think that the flame is the same flame as a moment before, but that's not true. There's a succession of many flames, one after another, that give the impression of a fixed identity. The flame of this moment gives rise to the flame of the next moment. And the flame of the next moment gives rise to the flame of the following moment.

In Buddhism, there is another beautiful illustration of this. At night, someone holds a torch and draws a circle in the air with it in the dark. If they are doing the movement quickly and you are standing at a distance, you have the impression that there is a circle of fire. But, in fact, there is only a succession of points of flame. The circle of fire is only an optical illusion. Permanence is an illusion, and the basic mistake is to believe that we have a consciousness, or a soul, that is always the same. Everything is impermanent.

Mentally and physically, you are of a cinematographic nature; you are reborn in every instant. You are renewed in every instant to become a new person, a new being. And if you know how to do it, your renewal is beautiful. With karma, you can assure a better, more beautiful continuation. If you know how to handle your thinking, your speech, and your actions, you will become more beautiful. The fact is that you don't need to wait until you die in order to see what happens to you. Look in the present moment and see that birth and death are going on in you at every moment, both in your body and in your consciousness."

-Thich Nhat Hanh (Reincarnation)

12/02/2023

Big congrats to Traci and Johnny and family - married today on Skaneateles Lake! Love you all! ❤️