A Loss of Another Year Can Be Filled with Newness

       Today has been a bit of a set back. I still get very tired in the middle of the day and seem to have problems with stability due to the concussion.  Today's door of a year is closing but I (or we) can find relief in tomorrow with new friendships, new boundaries, and continuous journeys.
      
        Our lives are all timeless journeys. The past is connected to the present; the present and future are capable of opportunities for growth and change. It's just a matter of changing our attitude and perspective of those around us. We search for positive stimulation to keep us going. I find it in meditation, friendships, and a lot of the time through the hug of a child. Sometimes it becomes as simple as taking our heart filled with caring and compassion and sharing it with those left fortunate than we.

       I am glad for everything new that comes to me pray for patience for the next few months.

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

       

In Search of My Ithaka

       Ithaka was a beautiful island that belonged to the Greek hero, Odysseus. After Odysseus fought the Trojan war he searched out beautiful lands, waters, and treasures.
       Today when we speak of an odyssey we refer to finding our own beautiful land, water, area to call our own, our treasures, our authentic self, our soul mate. This journey should take a life time. We meet new friends, see profound sights, experience life to it's fullest.
       I have always been in a rush to complete projects and move on to the next hoping one day I will have time to enjoy that cup of tea before rushing off to prepare dinner. This concussion is a blessing in disguise. I have enjoyed a few minutes of reading at a time, savored holiday coffees and teas, and watched huge snowflakes falling out the sliding door wall.
       I am allowing myself to be inspired, enriched, and enlightened by people and events around me. My journey doesn't necessarily have to lead itself outside my home. My journey is within myself as well and how I perceive life.
       My drawing is postponed momentarily and I will use this time to grow spiritually and graciously giving thanks to those around me.


       As always, thank you for reading and God bless!

Nuture Faith, Health, and Love

       Remember those days when we thought that must have dress, that Farrah Fawcett hairdo, the Atari system, or even the coolest bell bottoms would fix all our problems? Later it became that better-paying job and the ultimate must-have car in order to keep up with the Joneses.
     
       It was suggested to us, growing up, that it's important to nurture our faith, health, and love. Little did we know that material things provide temporary satisfaction. They don't provide food and proper nourishment for the mind, heart, body, and soul.

       If we strengthen and exercise our health, encourage and practice our faith, share and demonstrate love and generosity, we will gain the ultimate and lasting gratification that we had been searching for all our lives.

       Today I have accepted my concussion as a new path from God. I have exercised my health by using my cognitive hemisphere, spent time in church in deep prayer, and shared and accepted comfort from a loved one.

       I believe that I am wiser today because I know how to nurture faith, health, and love.

Thanks for reading and God bless!

I Believe...

       Many of my dreams still await in the wings. My hunger, desires, and passions seem to have been delayed by the concussion.
       I will not quit. I may shed a tear from time to time to cleanse my soul and make room for new hope and believing in my authentic self. I will not seek out sympathy, that only adds to my skepticism.
       I seek out for those souls that will continue to help me believe in myself, my passion, my creativity, and my love of spirituality.
       I am drawn to those with kind and gentle wisdom, clarity, solace, and serenity.
       My family is becoming more patient with me as I try to describe where to find an object in the house. My anxiety kicks in as I stumble with my sentences and descriptions.They are understanding that my cognitive area is having difficulty so I take them by the hand and show them.
       Belief is not always easy for me because my thinking gets in the way. It is my faith that allows me to believe.
       If I allow God to take charge and rely on His examples and experience of friends I know that I can trust and believe. Today can be easy.

As always thanks for reading and God bless!
      

On Wings like Eagles...

       A little over two weeks I accidentally fell down a small flight of stairs. To those of you that know me understand that it's not uncommon for me to be accident prone.
       There were no broken bones, a couple of bruises and a couple of bumps to the head which caused a serious concussion. Headaches persist, dizziness when tilting the head or lying down, consistent noises and rapid movement are bothersome. My speech has slowed down and reading takes longer to comprehend. It seems the left side of the brain has been affected. All of these are embarrassing since I am very independent but the worst is the occasional loss of my short term memory. My drawing hand has not been reliable for stability and this has taken my fear to an all time high.
       Therefore I will be making an attempt at blogging daily as therapy for both speech and comprehension. Thank goodness for spell check.
       I pray for courage and read my daily inspirations for positive affirmations. Using a dictionary and synonym dictionary help as well.
      "Those who hope in the Lord will soar on wings like eagles." Isiah 40:31
      
      

Stretching Beyond Our Comfort Zone

If we do what feels comfortable and good, do we ever grow? Do our minds grow? If we do not exercise our bodies, do we stay strong? If we remain stagnate within our community, do we grow in emotional maturity?
Settling for average achievement is missing out on the greatest satisfaction of accomplishing something we never thought possible. In order to succeed we must fail. It is those failures that make us that much stronger and wiser.
There have been many activities I refrained from when growing up as a child and even young adult. I feared the laughter from peers, the disappointment from family, the failure, the guilt, the regret, the frustration, and, those of you that know me, the impatience. Having faith in our Higher Power has allowed me to stretch beyond my comfort zone. My faith has taken me to new levels with my art. It has also taken me to a new level of understanding, acceptance, joy, harmony, and gratitude.
Start with baby steps. Try sushi, I found out I love it! Thank you to Elizabeth and Lynda! Begin a blog. If I can do it, anyone can do it. Journal a daily sentence of gratitude. Test a new recipe. Try a half marathon. Take a ballroom dance lesson. I would love to try that! One of these days I will get over my fear of heights and attempt a hot air balloon ride. That will be a HUGE post if it ever happens!
Remember, fear is the absence of faith.
As always, thank you for reading!

A Humble Announcement

I am very pleased to announce that "Beyond All Boundaries" received third place in the Landscape/Interior category of the 29th Annual Artist's Magazine Contest.
Please enjoy the video of all winners in the contest. Congratulations to all the winners! The work is outstanding.