A start the week right lesson

Anger tries to consume me:


• No one gets me.

• No one really hears me.

• No one realizes my needs.

Confusion tries to rule me:

• What if I can’t keep this pace up?

• What if things get worse?

• What is I lose my mind?

Hopelessness tries to defeat me.

• Things won’t improve.

• Life will get harder.

• The past is passed.

BUT

God’s promises strengthen me:

• I will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

• I will hold you in my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

• I will give you rest. Matthew 4:28

• I will go before you. Isaiah 52:12

• All things are possible with me. Mark 10:27

• My peace I leave you. John 14:27

• I did not give you a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

God also reassures me:

• Carry each others burdens. Galatians 6:2

• Do not become weary in doing goo. Galatians 6:0

• Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger. Ephesians 7:31

• He who began the good work in you will carry it to completion. Philippians 1:5

• Devote yourself to prayer. Colossians 4:12

• Fight the good fight holding on to faith. 1 Timothy 1:7

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. 2 Corinthians 11:15

brief encounter with nature refreshes whole

After many frustrating long months,

a short but refreshing Fernwood ( retirement property)

 walk was a welcome reprieve.

I found a bit of my soul

I thought had disappeared forever.

I discovered a spirit of clam still possible in my hectic life.

A time in prayer  by the creek and my heart lifted

out of a deep pit.

The heady smell of pre-spring forest

sent my body into a reverie of hope.

Side note:

thanks to recent comments.

I'm glad someone besides me gets some enjoyment from this blog!

creativity

choosing is your choice

I eat but my stomach is never satiated.

I laugh but my life is never happy.

I cry but my heart is never consoled.

I sleep but my body is never rested.

I pray but my soul is never relieved.

I believe but my spirit is never lifted.

If broken hearts could kill I’d be dead by now.

If souls could never be found I’d be gone and forgotten.

If weakened spirits could cease to exist I’d not even be a distant memory.

If a distracted mind could disappear all together I would be “who?”

positively

emotionally

i have reached

a statute of limitations

physically

i have reached

a standstill for improvement

spiritually

i have reached

a halt in hope

mentally

i have reached

an end to clear thoughts

creatively

i have never reached

an end to ideas

artistically

i have never reached

my full potential

inspirationally

i have never reached

the depth of my soul

Zentangle Landscape/ Pen and Ink and Watercolor

dam breaks

tears flow

heart hurts

soul breaks

spirit flows

life moves on

life in a day.....

A day in remission from the trenches.
Battle fatigue is present but there's little time for relaxation and reprieve.
Tomorrow is another day and I realize more battles loom
on each of the sun's cycles.
Days such as this are to be cherished and valued as godly gifts
to get us through life's wards.
AND the calm house, the silent rooms, and the solitude is a little gift of grace
that can lead to a life of joy and peace.
The love of a good family is a direct present from a loving God.
Simple times of just being together, laughing and talking, or watching a movie
are the memory making moments of a life well lived.
So, why do I focus on the minutiae of bad that constantly attack my soul?
Why do I easily forget the intense good in my days?
Just when I think I'll lose the last few flecks of good or bad, new task presents itself for focus.

best medicine

time to figure it out

Seeking answers right

in front of my nose.

Wanting solutions found


in the pages of the "good book".


Pondering the meaning of life


found in every human soul.


Needing the purpose for existence


available if sought with the heart.


Hoping for guidance that


comes from the Holy Spirit.


Believing in a faith


that's there for accepting.

winter's serenity

winter ends

spring hope returns

rebirth

re-life

do-overs

new beginnings

It's okay to choose SELF

I gave in long enough…



Do what’s expected.

Do what’s right.


Do what is asked.


Do for everyone but self.


ENOUGH!


Life is too short to live it the way others say.

I MUST LIVE MY LIFE.


My flesh is raw and bleeding.


My heart is broke and failing.


My spirit is weak and fleeting.


My soul is lost and hopeless.



I must realize my body is dying a little each day.


I must understand I cannot repair everyone’s life.


I must choose to believe in my own survival needs.


I must surrender to the idea of its possibility.



Worry overrides thoughts, sleep, health, and life itself.

some things we choose and some things are prechosen

If only we could...

paint our own scenery

write our own story

compose our own theme song

collage our own agenda

create our own world

but we can't

We must

view the scenery beyond us

live our own story

hum our genuine tune

piece together the elements we are dealt

in this world's great collage

but oh

how I wish I could change some of the scenery

rewrite sections of the story

rearrange some of the notes in the tune

swap out a few elements in the collage....

safety zone

Hidden in the corner of hope



Lost in the warmth of love


Strengthened in the peace of God


I find myself


Believing in the truth of obedience


Trusting in the practice of faith


Experiencing the power of prayer


I am healing


Seeking to live again


Knowing how to breathe


Going the way of the cross


I will be reborn

caged souls cannot not survive

create and choose

We all carry scars of life’s injuries.

Bruises cover us from living through daily crises.

Not every pain has a coordinating pill.

Hurt is inevitable if we are breathing.

The heart’s and soul’s muscles are highly susceptible to pulling beyond their limits.

Our spirit is often cut to its core; but we still have choices to make.

Someone wise once said, “you can choose to be better or bitter.”

Allow yourself a choice to choose wisely.

Last Snow?

a dusting of snow 

birds fly to and fro

calming my soul

I may stay whole

long days have stolen my spirit

not enough faith applied to it

I may still lose my nerve

it's no secret long gone is the verve

so this one thing I pray

increase my hope to stay

within my life of blessing

and learn to keep the lesson

observing the brevity of life

letting go of the ensuing strife

I believe I have been given

all the tools for a good livin'

life as we know it

a mind filled with ambiguous thoughts

a heart flooded with mixtures of hope and loss

a spirit confused by new beginnings and old memories

a soul broken in too many pieces of what is and what was

a body struggling with old war wounds and new fitness

a life filled with dealing with emotions of

faith and doubt.

God will erase all the negatives

and the being will choose to accept grace

life stacks up and sometimes topples over

Life is a measure of grief,



mixed with joy.


Long hours become short years.


Times you thought you’d never make it through


become the best lessons of your life.


Doubts and fears occupy too many thoughts


which could just as easily have been filled


with peace and faith.


We should never waste a moment of living


with unnecessary, negative energy.


Each day should be complete


with gratitude and glory to the


One who makes it possible.

Schedule of life

Day begins.

Worries creep in.

I choose scripture to ease my mind.

Day continues.

Troubles appear.

I choose prayer to strengthen my spirit.

Day ends.

Fears crowd my thoughts.

I choose God’s love to quiet my heart and soul.

mixed media shrine in memory of my mother in law



finding hope

life is foggy
days run together
forming years

mind is shutting down
thoughts overlap
causing tears

body is fatigued
escalted pains
losing energy

heart is weak
beating irregularly
growing lethargy

spirit is fading
perseverance is gone
dwindling hope

soul is lost
grace has disappeared
no way to cope

choose life

When everything tells you

To give up and die,

Choose life.

When everything turns to mush,

Choose life.

When everything is against you,

Choose life.

When everything is hopeless,

Choose life.

When you can barely take anymore,

Take another breath and

Choose life.

When all things fall apart,

Choose life.

When the last ounce of energy leaves you,

Choose life.

Image from new art series: Shrines.

choosing your latitude

Cold and frozen

in the pathway of life

she loses her spirit.

Alone and scared

in the darkness of night

she loses her mind.

Broken and hurt

in the details of living

she loses her heart.

Confused and doubtful

in the day to day schedule

she loses her soul

But she will choose God

to give it all back to her one day.

gifts of a life well lived

The beauty of simple joy.                   



The marvel of nature’s glow.


The wonder of a quiet moment.


The grace of a day’s reverie.


These are the gifts for the soul.






The first smile of a newborn.


The sweet fragrance of a spring blossom.


The serene notes of a dove’s coo.


The hope of a new day.


These are the gifts for the spirit.






The hug of a loved one


The warm sun on your face.


The gentle wind on your back.


The calm feeling after a crises.


These are the gifts for the heart.