beyond Ash Wednesday

 

denial is a challenge but worth it

an easy life from God is a gift to treasure

clarity is difficult but can be found in God

women just tend to run in circles

 

to please everyone

do you ever just feel empty?

be God's light

 

for yourself as well as others

it may be all you need

more with one palette

 

 

we all are made up of one palette and we have many sides to our personalities

we should embrace them all

we should learn from them all

we should grow from them all

found moon

paint randomly and then look for unexpected surprises....found this moon over the water and land

life as it comes

paint colors randomly. dry. look for unexpected patterns. cut and paste to make finished piece.

kind of like life. we live random lives and events place us in unexpected places and situations. we try to cut and paste the life we want and sometimes it's best to not force it and just live with what we are dealt.

cross escape

landscape

one palette Kraft brown, black and white

woman-sometimes a mystery to herself

so many roles: wife, mother, daughter, caregiver.....
when: all day every day, 24/7
where: everywhere
how: exhausted

you are just right

covers speak

no matter how hard we try we do judge books by covers.
we judge people too quickly.
we pretend not to but we do.
please see the person inside.
notice the person's situation.
consider walking in the other person's shoes.

she's no angel

 

seeking a perfect world that does not exist

no one gets me

My life changed on May 31, 2009. My dad had a stroke. I saw just how much financial trouble my parents were in. I saw how bad my Mom's dementia was. I saw how unprepared I was for all this. As an only child I was sole caregiver. Then Dad died in 2013. Mom tried to stay home alone but it just didn't work. after 6 months she went into assisted living for 6 months. Medicaid never came through so she lived with me and my husband for 6 months. She is back in assisted living (special care unit for dementia) for nearly 3 months. I am still not dealing with it all too well. I'm completely exhausted and no one knows. I need all the home time I can get and no one gets it. I need peace and quiet and low activity but no one understands. I need space but no one give it to me. I just want to survive but no one cares. I need sleep but get little and no one believes it. I need to be allowed to set my own pace, schedule and timeline....no one gets me.

easily wounded

 

but God can heal every wound,

heal every scar,

and repair every broken spirit

Nature has healing power

no one sees the pieces about to fall everywhere

we all have relics in our lives that get us through situations

creative mysteries

      color outside the lines

      inspire imaginations

      solve problems

      connect with founders

imperfection keeps us real

did you look deep enough

It's all inside if we believe Rumi!

Creativity is born

Relic series

 

 

      face of revelation

      heart of gold

      convictions divulged

      full commitment  to family

      past present future

family issues are never simple

 

I enjoy Lifetime movies especially about family problems. We all have them. Some worse than others and some involving feelings, money, illness and relationships. My father died nearly 2 years ago. My mother is now in a special care unit for dementia. I have looked after them for the last 6 years. I was shocked when I learned how messed us their finances were. I'm still dealing with it. It just won't go away and I feel stuck and abandoned. Will it ever cease?

Relic Series

 

#4    touch of reality

      written by his own hand

      healing effort

      God’s miracle

      not enough

New Series - Relics

 

emotional message excavated

from deep within

expounded truth

         surrendered to those who wish to learn

from their past

Lenten series continues

finding new verses to embrace and rediscovering and gaining clarity of familiar passages

when will she balance it all?

 

 

when she can have clarity instead of confusion

she cannot

but maybe she will anyway.....

Dear World

 

 

Do you think things will be all right? How long does the world have till it is done? Will it ever be a happy, safe place to live? Is God tired of this mess? Why do we still have so many Haves and Have Nots? Where can we go to find peace? What if I just give up? Was it ever worth it?

 

I get so angry when I watch the news or read the paper. I get so sad when I see how people treat people. I get so confused when I think of all the good God has for us and how much we waste and ignore our blessings.

 

Oh, my dear world, you are so different from what I remember as a child. You are so not what I hoped to find by this time in my life. You are so close to being extinct.

 

What can I do to help but PRAY?

snow gives creative time

God can mold us into a wonderful vessel!

if we allow him

when

will I be able to create full time every day? will it make a difference to anyone but me?
I need time to create. it heals my hurting broken lost soul.

to my Grandmother

the simple message of Lent

count your blessings many times a day

clarity at the speed of color

we all have two or more stories

and the most interesting ones are between the lines of the public story.

the girl with crooked wings who can't fly

 

 

sometimes has a heart of gold

my Valentine

slow down and enjoy every minute with those you love

It's all gone too fast.

invite your creativity out to play

An artist must take time to play, explore, experiment, and let the imagination flow.

try to smile anyway

a woman's heart is

always big enough...

It is what it is

 

 

art and writing beckons me

calls come and go

hopes float by

dreams sustain me

fears linger

but

pray I do

 

life happens to me

family and friends need me

joy is a goal

struggles cause conflict

worries consume me

but

pray I still do

 

the sun is my brother

the moon my sister

the trees are my monuments

the flowers my awards

grace is my home

but

prayers I lift

 

alone I am free

smothered I falter

love strengthens me

hatred weakens me

mercy is my support

but

prayers I make

                                  

Devotionals give us words to consider and focus on for our needs

this devotional page is 4 1/2 years old but it spoke to me then and it still does today...

honoring Mom

my new self portrait