just for fun...

christmas (and charlie brown)-inspired artwork... =)

grief, love, and mercy...

my dad

my little sister, my brother, and me...

i've really been missing my dad and my brother lately. i always miss them, but when the holidays come, the ache in my heart for them becomes more intense.

if i'm honest, the last few weeks i've been frustrated with God. even though i love Jesus with all of my heart, i was telling a friend how i go from not wanting to talk to Him at all, to longing for His presence - like a child who is angry at her father, but then, a moment later, happily asks him to spend some time with her.

sometimes things seem so bleak, the world around us so dark, that i find myself questioning things in my heart, even though my mind knows them to be true.

today i read an entry from the advent devotional i've been using for many years. it's called, "the Lord is near," and it has scripture along with excerpts from the writings of one of my favorite authors, henri j.m. nouwen. i'm always surprised (though, i shouldn't be by now), at how God meets me head-on in the midst of my grief, anger, and frustration, with His love and mercy.

the following is what i read today:

Called Back

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

Matthew 9:27

O LORD, all you ask of me is a simple "yes," a simple act of trust so that your choices for me can bear fruit in my life. I do not want you to pass my by. I do not want to be so busy with my way of living, my plans and projects, my relatives, friends and acquaintances, that I do not even notice that you are with me, closer to me than anyone else. I do not want to be blind to the loving gestures that come from your hands, nor deaf to the caring words that come from your mouth. I want to see you as you walk with me and hear you as you speak to me.

Your heart is so full of the desire to love me, so aflame with a fire to warm me. You so much want to give me a home, a sense of belonging, a place to dwell, a shelter where I feel protected and a refuge in which I feel safe. You stand at so many squares and corners of my life and say with so much tenderness, "Come and see, come and stay with me..."

I trust in you, Lord, but keep helping me in my many moments of distrust and doubt. They are there and will be every time I turn my eyes, ears or hands away from you. Please, Lord, keep calling me back to you, by day and by night, in joy and in sadness, during moments of success and moments of failure. Never let me leave you. I know you walk with me. Help me walk with you today, tomorrow and always.

i pray that this speaks Truth to you, as it did to me.

praying for all those wrestling with grief, as well as joy, this christmas season... blessings to you, dear ones...

happy belated thanksgiving!

hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! wanted to update you on the latest... got the test prints back last week, and i think they look AMAZING! it was SO exciting to walk out of the printers with them in hand, knowing that i'd accomplished one more step towards selling my artwork.

i was sick last week, having caught what my husband was sick with the week before. i'm still recovering, therefore, my productivity has been down regarding photographing my artwork, pricing it, etc. hoping to get this all done SOON! i'll keep you all posted along the way...

thanking God for all of his blessings... which include all of you. =)

Breaking NEWS... =)

essentially, i know nothing about computers/scanning/file-types/file-size/saving files - you get the picture. i've spent countless hours reading articles and websites, attempting to educate myself on the ins-and-outs of turning my artwork into a digital file. after spending all afternoon a couple of weeks ago, scanning and saving all of my artwork, i took the disc to the printer, only to be told, "there's nothing on this disc." denied.

as frustrating as all of this computer stuff is to me, it's very necessary in order to have prints made of my artwork.

well, kids, after weeks of trying and failing (and yelling, and crying, and uttering, "Lord, beer me strength"), i was finally successful! i just arrived home from the printer, after having placed my first official print order! you really have no idea how encouraged i am by this.

i'm truly hoping that by the end of next week i'll be announcing on my blog (to the 4 of you who read it), that i have prints for sale! =)

MUCH love!

don't give up.

a few of my very close friends are going through really difficult things right now... my heart has been burdened for them and their situations... this piece was another way for me to express my love and support to them.

and, once again, God used my art to speak some Truth to me, as well.

much love, dear ones. you will get through this.

choose love.

when i made this piece, i was thinking about two of my great loves... my love of the sky, and my love of mobiles. random, yes. but i like how the combination of the two turned out.

i'm constantly looking up when i'm outside... my friend, anne, is like this, too. "sky-watchers", is what she says we are. so often i'm overwhelmed by the beauty i see up there... day or night, there are glorious things to behold... i find hope and joy in the clouds and in the stars...

and the mobiles... well, they're just fun.

be present.

each and every moment is unique.

be still. be present. listen. learn. grow. heal.