A heart full of grace, Falcon fever and fortune

 Photo from March 2011

- "You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love..." From the I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963.  The sign borders the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, just next to Freedom Parkway. Even though I don't get this holiday off, I still celebrate the day.

- The Atlanta Falcons lost the NFC championship yesterday, but it was still fun seeing Falcon fever sweep the city.  The grocery store was full of people in Falcon jerseys buying game snacks.  After the game, someone posts on facebook:  "Well Atlanta, at least we still have Downton Abbey to look forward to."

- Fortune cookie fortune:  Now is a good time for serenity:  a book and a good friend.

The Swan house, the Braves and Friday treat

- The front of The Swan House on another rainy day. Now part of the Atlanta History Center, it is an elegant, classically styled mansion built in 1928 for the Edward H. Inman family, heirs to a cotton brokerage fortune.

- The Atlanta Braves winning their opening game against the Washington Nationals yesterday. It's lovely to see baseball season start, no matter who wins. Friends Kim and Robert are regular attendees in person and were excited to see the lights on at Turner Field (aka "The Ted") when we passed it on Tuesday evening.

- Finding that a pre-oatmeal square of Dove dark chocolate goes nicely with coffee on a Friday morning.

I hope your weekend is full of beautiful sights, winning moments and special treats. Have a lovely one, friends!

Optimism, winner and easy

- This sign in a mountain shop made me think of the hygienist at my dentist's office. She has similar signs in her workspace, including one that says, "Bring me the chocolate and no one gets hurt!" :)

- The emotion displayed by Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper and captain for Spain's World Cup team, as he talked about the win. I wasn't pulling for either team, but did enjoy watching when I could.

- Listening to a discussion of grandchildren before a meeting, one is a new grandmother and the other is seasoned and had an amusing story: her three-year-old grandson was a little over zealous in his excitement over handling the new baby. "Easy there!" they said, or "Easy, OK?" Later he came to her and said, "Shhhh, Grandma, Easy is sleeping."