I believe that there is always 'light' in any given situation if we really look for it. Sometimes it's taken time for me to find that ray of sunshine (or flicker) but when I have, it's been so healing.
I believe God is the light and His light will never extinguish - you just have to open your heart a little and then He will come flooding in and light up your life.
Jesus once again addressed them:
I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.
John 8:12 MSG
Don't stay in the dark when you can be in the light...
How about the times when life gets you down and you feel weary?
When situations are hard and intensely challenging?
When you're not sure how things are going to go - how a particular family situation will resolve itself, or a disagreement with your spouse, difficulties with a child, or how you are going to put food on the table to feed your family this week?
What then?...
for the answer look within... (Print)
We all know that if you have experienced enough of life, you will encounter difficulties. Some will be taxing but just about tolerable and then there's the other end of the spectrum that just feels unbearable.
I was reflecting on this and thinking about my life and the struggles that bombard me, when my sons arrived home with their grandparents. Once they had settled somewhat, my youngest son went off to his bedroom and came back with a sheet of paper that he had drawn on. He announced that I was to go on a treasure hunt and to meet him outside in a moment or two.
Truth be known, I wasn't really in the mood but his adorable smiling face and enthusiasm melted my heart and sure enough, I joined him outside. I had to 'follow' his map and after a bit of navigating, we came across the treasure!
I opened the little box only to find the bible verse shown below and was blown away by the message. Then if that wasn't enough, I came across Benji's cute little love note to me - I Love You!
It's in our nature to want to keep the status quo. To keep things manageable and comfortable. We don't like angst, we prefer cruising along and just hoping that nothing too challenging comes our way.
Here's the thing though. We can't be of service to anyone else if we haven't experienced heartache and trials. God can't work on us if everything is always going along swimmingly. We are here to be of service to each other and somewhere in amongst all the grime is your treasure to share with others no matter what. It might take some digging but it will be there, promise.
So, what 'treasure' do you hold over and above your life situation? Good health, loving relationships, a welcoming home? And what 'treasures' can you share with someone else? Like being a good listener, helping someone in a practical way, praying with them.
Give thanks for the treasure that you have been blessed with and go share the love {treasure} that is situated in your heart with the world...
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand
the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLV
I'm walking our dog Mia after dropping the boys off at school. It's my time for reflection, gratitude and wonder.
I see a public footpath sign and it makes me think about my life and the various foothpaths or routes that I've taken and continue to follow now. Some paths are comfortable, predictable, easy and others are the opposite.
We don't know where we are going - we might like to think we do but we don't really. We are not in control - we'd like to be but that's not reality. That's where my faith comes in.
There are paths I've travelled that have been unpleasant, distressing, scary and devastatingly life-changing.
Other paths have produced blessings but only after the fact and in some cases many years later.
Continuing further, I become aware of dandelion seed heads all around me and even though I've seen them a myriad times in the past, I stoop down and snap a photo of one and am instantly reminded of its exquisite beauty. Yes, it's a weed but nevertheless its simplicity and at the same time complexity deeply move me. I think it can be that way in life sometimes. We don't always see or accept the path we are taking for its true value.
When we have God at the centre of our lives it makes the navigation of life and the paths we take less bumpy. Inevitably, there will be heartbreak, illness, disasters etc - we live in a fallen world. However, we know that through difficult terrain - life's troubles, that we are not alone. But a life without God produces hopelessness and anxiety - I know, I've experienced it...
So, what path are you taking at the moment? Are you trudging up hill, into the wind and waiting for the meadow to appear? Have faith Dearest...
Painting/Art is one of the ways I express my appreciation and gratitude for the beauty I see around me. The words added to the paintings are whispers from the heart - reminders and encouragement for what I need to hear and maybe you too...
This painting speaks of the choices we all make when we are in any given situation. I find myself often getting caught up in the moment and forgetting that I can choose how I want to respond. After all, my responses are goverened in large by my experiences and therefore are just my reality, not anyone else's.
Choosing to experience joy, love, peace or calm is not easy in this broken world. It's often so tempting to just grab hold of anger, resentment, or fear. I think it's our automatic response. I do know that when I remember that I can choose, my situation is transformed. What a gift we all possess...
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18 NIV
When I suffered from depression and before I became a Christian, I saw the world as drab and 'grey' most of the time. Yes, I loved being in nature, looking at beautiful flowers and being with my loved ones but something was instrinsically missing...
Then one day, when I had hit rockbottom I did what I had never done before and that was to reach out to God and ask for His help. I didn't know what to expect, I just knew I was digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole I could no longer climb out of. I don't know what made me do it, except desperation, it was not planned, I just found myself saying a prayer out loud on the kitchen floor. It was a cry for help and to this day it still amazes me how my life was transformed (and still is) so profoundly.
So, when I say I now see the world with 'fresh eyes', I mean my 'vision' of life, my thoughts, my reactions, my whole way of being was renewed. I no longer saw with my limited vision but instead through the Holy Spirit. I was being 'worked on' from the inside out (and it's a lifelong process). This happened almost immediately after I asked for help and has stayed with me ever since. Not only does everything literally appear brighter, more colourful and beautiful but what I 'see' reaches my heart in deeply profound ways.
He reveals deep and hidden things...
Daniel 2:22
With all of these wonderful changes taking place I felt I needed to express my joy, gratitude and love through my first love - Art. I might never have returned to it had I not uttered that prayer from the kitchen floor about seven years ago. For years I had been struggling to find 'my thing', my passion, my gifts and my purpose...
Approximately four years ago we bought a little dog named Mia and that's when I started using my camera extensively to help capture beauty from my walks. Since then it's morphed into capturing simple moments from my day, self-portraits, everyday moments with family (as well as birthdays, Christmas etc)., cooking and whatever else captures my attention. I'm never without a camera and I think it's another way for me of counting my blessings that pour continuously into my life.
Of course, becoming a Christian does not remove all worries, challenges, upset, trauma and struggles from life - that's not what it's about. It IS about giving thanks, having a personal relationship with Jesus, having faith even in the dark times and being willing to act on faith and share with others.
With my experiences, the tragedies and the anquish I have gone through and now with a strong faith, I have a neverending desire to tell others my story and in doing so, hope it helps other women. That's why I offer one to one mentoring via Skype and also why I am dedicated to encouraging women to venture into creativity as a way to heal, a way to connect God and to transform your life.
So, as I sit here typing and watching the trees in the garden swirling about with bright, dappled sunshine sparkling between the leaves, I wonder if you are feeling burdened, defeated, lonely or just exhausted.
My prayer for you is to hand over your problems to God - small or big it doesn't matter, just do it... - don't wait for the perfect moment, the right time is now... Don't worry about the words sounding 'right', just speak from the heart and He will hear you...
I held my first children's painting lesson on Saturday!
There's so much pressure on children these days and painting (and creativity generally) can be an invaluable way to destress and have fun.
In the photo above, both boys are drawing pictures of birds which will then be painted in acrylic. They then want to hang their creations in their bedrooms!
Of course, children don't usually have long attention spans, so they drew for about 20 minutes and then we talked briefly about the particulars of acrylic paints and thereafter delved into playing with the actual paint!!! Yay!
So in the photo above, they are mark making and trying out different tools - experimenting. We talked about colour, opaque versus transparent, colour mixing, neturals, had a go at spraying paint with water directly on the canvas, stamping, using fingers/hands, flicking paint with a toothbrush, using a roller etc.
What made it for me, were the sounds of sheer delight coming from these children! Their faces were animated and alive with JOY!
They seemed to love the freedom and release of doing what their intuition was asking of them. Not worrying about the 'outcome' of the painting but just having fun.
The energy from these guys was electrifying, truly amazing!
So, next lesson we'll continue with their bird drawings and then do a bit more self-expressive stuff as well!
This week I've kept going with my healthy juicing and smoothie making...
My digestive system is definitely adjusting now and I'm still enjoying the results! The other day, I made a smoothie with avocado in it. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out and was hoping it would be ok. Well, it really was - so smooth and velvety! The other added bonus to all this effort on my part is that my waistline is shrinking slowly but surely. Of course it's early days yet but so far so good!
On the artwork front, I've finished two new paintings and have really enjoyed the process! The one below is called 'Beauty surrounds us' and is now available in my etsy shop. The painting includes two of my favourite things - flowers (pink of course) and hummingbirds!
This painting is called 'Count your blessings one by one'. I love the colours in this piece and the cute little nest with two eggs nestled in it. I'll be listing it soon.
Today I went into some woods nearby and came across some beautiful bluebells... I just love them - they are so magical to me.
After enduring long-term issues associated with my digestive system, I have once again decided to go wheat free. I'm also juicing every day (once per day) using vegetables and fruit to aid weight loss.
I think my body is doing a bit of a detox at the moment as my digestive system slowly gets used to the changes. I've also felt a bit tired at times and again have put that down to my body adjusting.
Our boys have been interested in the 'goings on' too and decided to 'help' with the smoothie making.
Here they are polishing off their scrumptious recipe...
So, hopefully my digestive system will feel cleansed and refreshed this next week.
Had lunch with my Mum at the lovely Betty's restaurant in Harrogate. I had a watercress and cheshire cheese quiche with various salads. It was gorgeous! It's lovely being able to have an uninterrupted chat with Mum sometimes!
I've started making smoothies again and am really relishing them. This one contains baby spinach, half a banana, one apple, some cucumber and natural yogurt. Just so refreshing! I'd forgotten how good they are.
Here is my most recent painting which is just about finished. This one is called 'Sweet heart of mine' and will be available in my etsy shop shortly.
So yesterday was May Day in the UK and our local village and school celebrates with maypole dancing, music, bouncy castles for the kids and lots of other activities. It was a gorgeous day and was such fun seeing our boys and the other children celebrating. The May Queen looked so pretty and so did the youngest children who were all dressed up too!
This photo shows the procession at the beginning of the celebrations with the Mayor in attendance!
Our boys mid-dance! (They are both in the middle).
So, I hope you are having a good start to your week and take care.
