Creating artwork for my VIDA account is lots of fun.
Sometimes the inspiration comes from an item
I would like to own.
Other times the artwork has already been created,
waiting silently in the depths of my studio
until I stumble upon it and a new idea is born.
Both ways are very satisfying and I happily
spend my days knee deep in artistic chaos,
painting my heart out!
Sometimes I sit down to write
and nothing much seems to happen.
I sit and wait
and maybe daydream a bit....
and still nothing.
I have a diversion that may be good for my soul
but not much help for my
resolution to write everyday.
I grab a glue stick and a box of scrap papers and bits
and spend my "writing" time
playing as I imagine I did in kindergarten.
Sticky fingers full of paint and glue.
Happily lost in a haze of pure fun
for no reason at all.
Accomplishing nothing
and at the same time,
everything.
It seems life has become a constant
struggle of to-do lists and schedules
swallowing our waking hours
and haunting our
dream times.
As if a great bookeeper in the sky
is keeping track of our days
and judging them with constant busy-ness
the holy goal.
What if we set out every morning with curiosity,
with the intention to notice
as many opportunities as possible?
Would it not be like reading the world
as a holy book~a Lectio Divina of sorts,
that ancient practice of spiritual reading?
Every day we could be pouring over
the unfolding of new and possible worlds.
There are innumerable, small opportunities
to be helpful, attentive or kind.
Taking up these opportunities,
would we not come to know that we are
a living part of the infinite story?
Gunilla Norris
Victoria has spent this summer in LA
working for one of her dream companies.
As she returns this week to the midwest
and begins packing for her senior year at ND
there will be tears.....
many tears.
We are so very lucky when our children love their
lives and choices so much that the thought of it ending
is bittersweet and sad.
We are not allowed to talk about
Tori's senior year or graduation.
Maybe if we stay very, very vigilant
and focused in each and every moment,
we can capture a bit of the magic
and keep it with us
close to our hearts.
And our hearts forever
Love thee Notre Dame
Over the course of the years
I have moved from an obsessive church lady
to a more contemplative loner.
On Good Friday
I spend time alone listening to
Jesus Christ Superstar
It never fails to bring me to tears.
I collect bits and pieces of paper
and scraps.
Nothing is out of bounds.
If I cannot get the whole label
off a wine bottle ~
just a scraped off bit will do.
I have had lots of fun
decorating envelopes
and postcards to send to
Victoria in London
and Alex in Chicago.
It's a fun way to share some of
my favorite quotes
and they enjoy receiving
my art postcards and each uniquely
designed envelope.
Lots of fun!
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings ~ nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And ~ which is more ~ you'll be a Man, my son!
~Rudyard Kipling
While I truly understand
resisting the rhythm of the Universe
is indeed foolish and fruitless....
I am hoping today
for a visit from spring......
really soon.
In the meantime....
A Blessing of Solitude
May you recognize in your life the presence, power
and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you
intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the facade of your life there is something
beautiful, good and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride,
and expectation which with God sees you in every moment.
John O'Donohue, Anam Cara
*Looking through a few journals this morning I came across this piece.
Now that she is a junior in college
and studying this semester in London, it made me miss her that much more....
Victoria sinks into her cuddly bed,
filled with soft cushy pillows and more
down comforters than any one 17 year old girl needs for a lifetime.
Her long hair sweeps softly about her round flushed cheeks
in silky cascades and tangles too.
Her room is barely bigger than her bed, now her throne as her favorite stuffed animals
and dolls gather at her royal feet.
The walls are filled with theatre posters of the many shows she has seen with
a special section reserved for her Broadway adventures.
The worn rug lying beside her bed can easily trip the unaware; rags and pieces
of garments long gone,
tied together with the loving hands and nimble fingers of a grandmother.
The sharp edges of her desk protect her personal papers and high school secrets from intruders of all sizes.
The room smells of little girls; sweet perfumes and scented candles.
Move in a little farther I snuggle my toes into soft flannel jammies;
lying right where they were taken off, still warm....
I am trying a "new" kind of resolution this year.
It's not about doing or losing
Not about accomplishing or goals.
It is about gently cultivating tenderness,
Within and for myself as well as for others.
It is about seeing with reverence,
eyes soft and non-judging.
"When you regain a sense of your life as a journey
of discovery,
you return to rhythm within yourself.
When you take the time to travel with reverence
a richer life unfolds before you.
Moments of beauty begin to braid your days.
When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence,
the light, grace and elegance of beauty
find you more frequently."
John O'Donohue
Happy New Year to us all.