Friday, January 24, 2014

Free




i go to a place that’s free
free of worry, stress and chaos
it’s calm and peaceful there
always
like an endless stretch of sand
white and welcoming



but sometimes there are roadblocks
detours and barriers
and it’s impossible to find

i get lost, sidetracked
temporarily detained
or held hostage

the way is obscure
just out of reach….



forward, stepping,
moving, inching….



with time

patience and persistence…
the veil is lifted
and i always find my way back
ahhhh…….


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

REACHing



so i seem to have a lot of pics of me in recent years “reaching”….. who knew that they would turn out to be illustrations of my word of the year for 2014: “REACH”?  as i mentioned before, the word did not come to me easily – i had to go in search of it and eliminate several others that were competing for attention, but now it feels just right.


i like my words to cover a lot of ground.  after all, we have a whole year to work with here.  i always start by writing about it and see what comes up, so here goes:



REACHing

IN
by delving for those parts of me that are hiding and unwilling to come into the light

by developing the  inner resources that will increase my capacity for gratitude, amazement and compassion



UP
to silence and stillness….. spend more time there

by expanding my openness to spirit, the universe and all that is mysterious and unknown.  practice it.  regularly.



OUT
to those who are hurting or in need of encouragement or inspiration

by sharing through classes/workshops

to friends I want to reconnect with (regardless of which of us has dropped the ball)

to new ideas, friendships, projects, art techniques, classes, recipes and areas

by entertaining in my home




i like to start a practice around my new word.  keep track in writing of ideas related to it and ways i have implemented it.


my words from the last 4 years (justbe, imagine, venture and intention) are not going away.  after spending a year with each of them, they have become friends and have integrated themselves into my being.  they are part of me.  each new word adds to the mix and provides a gentle guidance in moving forward on this journey.  if you haven’t yet selected a word, there’s still time.  you’ll be surprised at how powerful it can be!



Thursday, January 9, 2014

Update




i’m easing in to the new year….slowly…. it really does feel like a fresh start and i am embracing that, with all of its possibilities and potential.  no, i haven’t exactly been the blogging queen over here.  i’m giving myself permission to let things happen as i feel ready. but i do feel that an update is in order, so here goes!


after 7 weeks of intense therapy, pain and frustration, stu has had a little bit of a break-through with his right knee (the left one has been progressing well).  although he has been becoming much more independent - driving, hiking, etc. the flexion in that knee just seemed at a standstill until yesterday.  so we are hopeful that he won’t need the forced manipulation procedure after all. 



working in the house - it's not pretty!

finally, the studio is coming along and is almost finished!  another frustrating situation as we couldn’t figure out why it was leaking, but it looks like we finally solved the problem and have been steadily re-building for the last couple of weeks.  soon i should be able to move back in and get my living room and bedroom back to normal.  Yippee!




 my one year of working with the girls through the grant for the “inside out” project has concluded.  it has been a learning experience for all of us in a big way.  i am more convinced than ever that anyone can do and benefit from art journaling.  and since i am short on my hours toward the grant, i will have another chance to put that into practice.  i will soon be teaching a free art journaling class at Artbeat on Main Street



i’ve been able to put together some new mixed media pieces and have sold quite a few as well.  that will all get a lot easier once i’m back in the studio!


 i do have a new word for the year…. but saving that for the next post.  thanks for hanging with me through this time and for stopping by!