Artist Way Circle

We have started an Artist Way Circle at our local art league, and we had our first meeting today. It was a beautiful group of women, all eager to come together and help each other live creatively. There was an eagerness to learn and engage that was palpable. I'm glad to be part of this group. It feels "alive".

Bare-faced me

I have a friend who posted her bare-faced picture on her blog, and another who's decided that taking bare-faced pictures is therapeutic. So, I tried it. I'll try anything once. But therapeutic?? I don't think I'm ready to say that yet. :) I am enjoying the aging process. I feel good physically, mentally, spiritual, and emotionally--better than ever. Yet, photos are real reminders that time is moving all too swiftly. Personally, I would rather play Picasso and pick up my colors and my brushes and paint away on this canvas God's given me! :)

A Little Motivation

I'm in an aritst way group that's offically starting tomorrow, but I've already started. One of our tools is an artist date with the child artist inside of us, so I figured I could use a little motivation and applause. My kids used to love charts, so my artist child "Star" and I went for a shopping trip Sunday after church and bought lovely stickers and we made this "yeah for YOU" chart this morning. While I was at it, I made one for my mother who's trying to quit smoking. She could use some applause. Just hope it's not too performance oriented! :)

Eucharist

I spent some time yesterday afternoon, setting up this arrangement to paint. I love Eucharist--I love the bread and the wine--the crushed wheat and grapes--and the significance. That God became flesh--that God still becomes flesh, every day, all around me. There's a song called Eucharist written by Jacque Darragh that I really like. It reminds me that people I meet along the way are broken bread and crushed grapes for me. They are Eucharist to me. You are Eucharist to me.

A Colored Pencil Kind of Day

Well, I got up this morning, February 4, and reposted this blog from yesterday...I spent 4 hours on my dial-up computer last night posting a lot of pictures from the workshop I took yesterday, and by the time I got through, I was tired, frustrated, and my insides weren't nearly as pretty as this box of colored pencils. I woke up this morning remembering that this blog isn't about getting people's pictures in so they can come see themselves and applaud the "star" inside of me. It amazes me how quickly everything in my life becomes about performance! One of the neatest things about "project 365" to me, is the opportunity to learn to see through new eyes, and to journal my day in a different way. There's only a couple of people who read my blog every day--actually, only one that I know of. And she deserves more than I gave last night in my attempts to get everyone's applause. I deserve better than that. And my spiritual artist inside--my soul deserves better than that. I don't work with colored pencils too often because they take time. And I like to produce more quickly than pencils let me. But one of the best things about pencils is that as I slow down and color, my soul slows down, too. So, I got up this morning--deleted all the jumble of pictures and slowed down to the pace this page is supposed be for me. A friend of mine posted a picture of a snale on her blog the other day--slow and easy wins the race. I'm not too fond of slow and easy. And something inside of me wants a big show of applause so much that I'm willing to spend hours of frustration trying to get it. So, I did learn something besides how to use colored pencils yesterday. And this morning, I feel much less frustration. Back to simplicity.

A Day at the Cenacle

One of the things I would like to do is figure out how to get my pictures uploaded in the right order, or to be able to move them once they're in this spot, but o well! :) Anyway, in the order they appear--I am in my 3rd year at the Spiritual Direction Institute at the Cenacle Retreat House on Houston, so I get to spend a lot of time "retreating". This year, it's twice a month, on Fridays--my favorite day of the week! This is my home away from home. Everytime I drive up the Beltway and see the Memorial Drive exit, my heart settles in--I'm coming home. This picture of some of the windchimes hanging on the patio.

This is the Chapel at the Cenacle--a quiet place to come and meditate, pray, or just "be". Communion services or Mass is often held in this little quiet place. Mostly, I like to just sit for a few minutes, and feel all my pieces coming home.

This is the Cenacle's labryinth. Each graduating class presents the Cenacle with a gift--one of the classes several years back built this gift, brick by brick. The labyrinth is another picture of coming home.

I love this "tree chair". Several years back, this old tree died, and instead of taking it all out, this "chair" was left. Most of us are too old now-adays to climb trees, but we can still sit in this one and let the tree hold us back to wholeness.

THIS was supposed to be the first picture at the top of the page, but--o well! This is driving in through the gate--aaaaaahhhhh...I'm HERE!

I love the trails at the Cenacle. This one beckoned me today: "Come to the Light."

A Paradoxical Day

Another cold, rainy day, but this time, there's something special to really warm the heart. I met one of my dear friends, Jana, at the Center this morning to show her the art exhibit , then off we went to have a bite of lunch. A cold, dreary day warmed by friendship. That's a gift!

"Sisters" for life. I love you Jana! You make my heart sing!