Nurturing - Thought for the week, 52 Weeks of Colour and Inspiration

Thought for the week

Take the time to nurture yourself, and focus on what you can do right now.  What areas can do with some focus and tlc?  Tomorrow will take care of itself.

Quote
You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it. ...Annie Dillard  

Scripture 
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 3 - Take the time to Enjoy

Gratititudes and Celebration Journal - Week 3....

Take the time to enjoy the little things in your life or you'll miss them reminds me to look carefully at all the things I do and celebrate them.

Here is the page once I have noted some of the things that I celebrate and am grateful for....

What are you grateful for this week, and what one thing can you celebrate about yourself?

Blessings for the weekend

Spirit - Thought for the Week - 52 Weeks of colour and inspiration

Thought for the week

Take time to breath and allow the blank spaces and the silence time to settle, you need to see where you are going - then get ready to let your spirit soar!

Quote
My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon. ... Zen Koan

Scripture 
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

Graititudes and Celebration Journal - Week 2 Letting the Love In

Week 2 of my Gratitudes and Celebration Journal.  Letting the love in - sometimes we forget to show ourselves some love.  How are we to love others if we can't love ourselves.

Here is the page once I have noted some of the things that I celebrate and am grateful for....

What are you grateful for this week, and what one thing can you celebrate about yourself?  Blessings!

Artfulness - Thought for the Week - 52 Weeks of Colour

Thought for the Week

Right at this moment you are enough, you are where you need to be, you have got what you need to make a difference.  When you look at things with a new perspective, to see what is working you can begin to make the necessary changes and create a life you can be proud of.  Blessings for the week.

And God understands that part of us which is more than we think we are. ...Madeleine L’Engle

 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you Isaiah 43:2

 

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 1 - Shine some light!

Here is the first week of my Gratititudes and Celebration Journal.  I really enjoyed creating this page, we don't need a reason to be creative, and I intend to 'shine some light' into all those places that need reviving, restouring, nurturing each and every day.

 Here is the page once I have noted some of the things that I celebrate and am grateful for....

What are you grateful for this week, and what one thing can you celebrate about yourself?

Blessings for the weekend

Gratitudes and celebration Journal - New beginnings

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After a year of writing on a weekly basis those things that I am grateful for I thought I would start creating a gratitude's journal.  It is easier to look back at the months and see those things that I was grateful for alongside a piece of creativity.  We don't have to have a reason to create as it is a form of expression, so all the more reason to do something.  I will create a weekly page and show you the before and after and write something that I am grateful for and something that I am celebrating.  I am showing up on these pages for myself, as a reminder to how precious my life is, and as a reminder that 'All things are possible', we just have to step out each and every day!

I have made the journal from fabric and enclosed a selection of cards all different sizes as signatures, they are quite thick card so will take watercolours and any other mediums.

Cards made into signatures

Here is some of the detail from the journal.  I have used cowrie shells, beads and seed beads and attached them to the different types of material used for the journal.

 It is a chunky journal and I have used a ranged of different types of material and embellishments including buttons and ribbons.

Back view of the Fabric journal

I hope you will join me each Friday and share what you are doing, comment, link your posts and just have fun.

Longing - Creating in Faith

There are many things if we think about them carefully that we long for.  Some are to make us feel better within ourselves, some for the benefit of other people.  I have come to know and experienced the longing that stirs deep within and that feels like it cannot be remedied - found hand in hand with loss.

 

In my younger days I had many desires, I would have been convinced that some of which I could not live without, and thinking about them now see them as trivial and unimportant. My maturity makes sense of the world and understands how views, and desires change, and in my youth often with the wind.

My thoughts on longing are around the loss of a loved ones - a child, father, best friend and more recently brother.  You wonder how much your heart can take, never for one minute thinking that you will have to bear the callouses of yet another loss.  My longing is wrapped up in wanting to see them again, to say those words that never got said, to feel their presence one more time, to stop for a moment the ache, that dull ache which rests deep within.  There are momentary distractions and life feels like normal, you can breath again and sometimes laugh.  Then you remember, something missing, something you took for granted that it would always be there but you realise a hole remains.  Is it a round peg or a square, whatever shape it is it feels as if there is nothing that can fill it. 

Time they say is a healer it gets better.  I can say that I still wonder what my son Cairo who would be turning 24 this year would be accomplishing and what adventures he would have got up to.  My dad would have been in his 80's there was still so much wisdom untapped and how he would have had so much fun with his grandchildren.  Barbara spurred me on in my journey as an artist we shared much laughter and supported each other, and now my Brother Robert.  I think of him constantly wondering how I can use my creativity to take away the ache, knowing that he would expect me to do all the things I shared with him from my hopes and dreams.  

The longing doesn't go away I guess my you find different ways to respond, and my creativity allows me to say those things I still want to say, and when I don't know what or how I should feel I just stay still and listen.

My faith helps me to put one foot in front of the other taking one day, one thought, one step at a time.  My creativity is helping me to say those things that I need to say whether it is a painting, piece of writing, poetry or something that I have created.  They go hand in hand bridging the gap between the words unsaid, mutterings and groans from the heart, laughter and tears on the opposite sides of the same coin and the understanding that has come over time.

There will always be a longing, we can't hide or pretend.  Some days it will be easier, and others not so easy.  We learn to embrace, to share the memories, to talk about our loved ones as if they are in the next room.  We remember them the good and bad times, the tests and the triumphs and we keep taking those steps reminded of the fragility and remembering to laugh....

Gratitudes - Living your Life

It has been 2 weeks since my brothers home coming service, it was lovely to see so many people come out and show their love and respect for Robert.  We gave him a really good send off and everyone wore a touch of red which was one of his favourite colours.  It still feels unreal and I think about him non stop and it still feels like he is just a phone call away.  How precious his life was, and he leaves a legacy in his children and family, his love, warmth, passion, determination, peace and strength. 

I have been thinking about my own life, my journey, dreams and desires.  There are many things that I want to accomplish, I have still much growing to do in my walk as an artist - we all still have something to learn or a new technique to try.  I am reminded that I need to step out and ask myself 'what if anything were possible what would you do next, and then what?'  I have been working in the background trying to make sense of things and find my creative spark again.  When I feel sorry for myself I hear the many conversations I had with my brother and he would tell me to 'just go for it!

Well, that's just what I am going to do.  I want to share what I have been doing, in my art, do some videos of some of the processes, give myself some more challenges, write poetry, stories, photography, illustration, and just soar.  As I have said many times, we only have this one life to life, and we may as well live it to our best.  I will also be sharing what inspires me, and the work of other creatives, here on this blog, and on my wordpress writers blog.

Out of our pain and loss we have gained new insight into the life of those we love, those we have love and lost and the very meaning and purpose of our own existence.  It won't be easy and there might be some days where we feel like curling up and crying our eyes out, that's OK, its all part of our life that we acknowledge.  We don't have all the answers, but maybe I have a few that might be useful for someone else.   I refuse to hide and pretend that everything is OK or to brush anything under the carpet - that is not being real, I am greatful for each and everyday I get another chance to make a difference.  You will feel my story through my creativity and words, as I share we will go on a journey of uncovering together, sometimes you will get it, sometimes it could take a while or not at all, we all have our own 'stuff' to deal with.  What is most important though is that you show up ready to 'step out', accept the challenge, grow, laugh some days, cry if you want to, be inspired and be real to yourself.  What are you planning to do with your tomorrow?