Category: Art Journey

A week or so ago, I started a new painting class called The Gospel According to Her. This was a great opportunity for me, made possible by the miracle of livestream and Shiloh Sophia McCloud’s passion for the material.

The teaching focused on the women in the life and ministry of Jesus. Women who have been largely left out of the stories of many faith traditions.

The photo at the top of the page was the beginning layers of my work as they greeted me when I woke up this morning. I sat down with my favorite sunny yellow mug of hot water and lemon and asked her to tell me what she needed.

You see, my image felt like it was having a bit of an identity crisis. I wasn’t really sure about who she wanted to be or how to portray her.

This isn’t really all that surprising. I come from one of those faith traditions that is not overrun with stories of women. And so, I listened.

And I have more listening to do.

Here’s where we are now.

Along with hungry big dogs to feed and last minute touches happening on my neighbor’s painting which is headed to a middle school art show.

There’s a voice in my head that might well be labeled my inner critic jabbering on to the effect of, What were you thinking? All that work is wasted! 

I, however, have thanked her for her concern and assured her that nothing in this journey is wasted.

Sometimes a whole lot of white paint over what was there helps us see what wants to be. (And the whole palette knife thing is hugely freeing!)

Then there’s the fact that all the energy of the under layers is still there, adding depth and meaning to the art.

And the vivid reminder of one of the things I most want my girls to learn. There’s no failure involved in learning along the way and adjusting when it feels right!

So, what comes next?

I’m not sure. First, the paint has to dry. Then, I suspect there’s a dusky, sunset sky is waiting in the wings. I’m planning to watch the sunset tonight to see what I learn!

And, I suppose, when it all comes down to it, this really is all about learning. Learning about the questions tugging at me. Learning to be open to new stories of faith. New stories of the Divine at work in the world.

Where might newness be calling to you???

 

 

A few days ago, I signed a petition to end efforts to ban socially relevant books in prisons. Alice Walker was on that list!!! In my opinion, reducing crime in this country means including more ideas, and readers of ideas, in the conversation, rather than excluding them.

It’s not really much of a surprise. Books have been huge in my life since my days of Scamper Squirrel, long before I could pronounce it, let alone actually read it. Then, Sally, Dick, and Jane came along with a massive sense of empowerment. I could actually read about them all on my own. I especially liked Spot!

These days, books are still huge in my life. I’ve even written a few! The stack, above, are some of my long term most essential friends, along with some new additions to my world view.

I’ll admit that, on the surface, they may not all seem to play well together and yet, in my mind, they do.

What they all have in common is a journey toward learning more stories. More life-giving stories.

Now, I’ll admit that not all stories work equally well for me. I skip really violent tales. And I don’t relate all that well to science fiction, though I’m really glad it’s there, especially for those like one of my granddaughters who became a way more confident reader when she discovered sci fi books. I do like historical things, and books with a lot of symbolism, and just about anything that’s really, really well written.

You probably have your favorites, too, and they don’t have to be the same as mine.

Here’s the way I think about many of these issues…

Today is the eve of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of Rosh Hashana, for which the appropriate greeting is shanah tovah, which means, “good year.” According the the Hebrew calendar, this begins the year numbered 5780.

It is a time of prayer and self-reflection and, as I learned yesterday, part of the tradition is to eat apples and honey for a sweet year. 

These are not the traditions with which I was raised, though they are, in some senses, my traditions as well, because they are the traditions of the people who came before some of the people who became mine. And also the traditions of those who have become mine more recently.

There’s a big neuro-linguistic programming shift lurking in that last thought.

It’s about sorting for same rather than different. 

Or, to put it another way, it’s about the things which connect us, rather than things which may, through some filters, seem to divide us.

And many, many of those things are stories. Stories with words and stories in images and stories of relationship.

Stories of newness.

So, Shanah Tovah, to you and yours. May we share our stories and learn those of others and look forward to a sweet future together!

 

As you’ve no doubt noticed, Wednesday comes every week. One day in seven.

Hump Day for much of the Monday through Friday world. (A concept I found difficult in my nursing and preaching days!)

These days, as I’ve mentioned, Wednesdays are Work-in-Progress days. Officially, that has to do with paintings in progress. The ones that we need to get back to, or the ones we’re still listening to for more guidance, or the ones that may be begging for a big, scary glaze and a do-over.

Today, I had a different thought. It came to me while I was washing paint brushes this morning. Seemingly endless paint brushes!

There’s not much thinking involved in washing brushes and, apparently, my mind felt free to wander. And wonder.

What, I wondered, would my world look like if Wednesdays were Life-in-Progress days? Or Being-in-Progress days?

What if Wednesdays were to become days set aside for making progress on my personal journey? Or yours???

Perhaps some journaling. Not because I should, but because I’m curious.

A bit more time on Feng shui issues like closets. Tidying up things that are important but not necessarily urgent.

Possibly, even, sorting the freezers. Not because I’m supposed to, but because knowing what’s in them, and having it all where I can get at it means we’re way more likely to eat what we already have which is all kinds of good news for us and for the world.

Hearth Tending, as it were, for my own hearth.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one wondering!

As I finished up the brushes, and was wiping drips of paint-y water off the counter top, I noticed that I had a visitor. Being observant readers, you’ve probably guessed who!

There she sat, amidst an assortment of hair products, slightly the worse for wear and wiggling her one antenna at me. I dried my hands and tried to pick her up gently for a trip out to the deck.

Instead, she clung, with her bristly legs and feet, to her perch. She was still there when I last checked.

I went, as has become my habit when encountering unexpected friends, to look up the symbolism of grasshoppers.

Here’s some of what I found, courtesy of the mini library known as my cell phone.

Grasshoppers have the ability to leap into space where the mysteries of life exist. When the grasshopper appears to us we are being asked to take a leap of faith and jump forward into a specific area of life without fear. Usually that specific area is one that we have avoided and is often connected to change on a larger scale. 

Grasshoppers can only jump forward…not backward, or sideways. So, when grasshopper shows up she could be reaffirming to you that your are taking the right steps to move forward in your current situation. Or… telling you to go ahead and move forward, getting past what is hindering you.

This is why grasshopper is the symbol of good luck all over the world.

Grasshopper’s ability to connect and understand sound vibrations is why she is also a symbol of your inner voice. She could be telling you to trust yours. 

All of which sounds okay to me! And I can think of lots of reasons why I might need such a message from a grasshopper these days. I wonder what occurs to you…

(If you scroll on down, you’ll find a place for comments and I’d love to know what you’re thinking! Or you can email me. Or leave a Facebook comment.)

Before I head off to the closet, I’ll leave you with one more thought.

What might things be like if we all chose a day to move forward on some of the places where we’ve felt stuck? If we listened to our own voices? And used our own where we most need to? And helped our kids learn some of these possibilities, too?

I’ll keep you posted!

p.s. I’m delighted to report that our grasshopper friend was gently escorted outdoors and has wandered off in search of her own dreams!

One of the eternal truths of counseling, especially the sorts that involve couples, is that communication requires both sending and receiving messages.

I was pondering this the other day when Luther, one of our Newfie rescue dogs, was sending loud messages, as is his habit. When he first came to us, about two and half years ago, Luther wasn’t much for communication. In fact, his only response to virtually anything was an attempt to disappear into the floor.

I’m delighted that he is finding his voice. I’m less delighted that his particular voice is very loud and sharp. It reminds me of a radio station Bill used to like. It felt to me like nearly every other song they played was in some key that reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. And Luther doesn’t seem to be equipped with a wait button.

Thus, he barks, usually when he wants in or out the door. Receiving the message loud and clear, I respond, “I hear you!” and begin the process of liberating myself from wherever I’m sitting or whatever I’m doing to see what he needs.

I’ll freely admit that Luther’s messages probably feel somewhat more urgent to me than they might if he weren’t blind. I’m always concerned that he’s stuck someplace, or lost, which still happens sometimes.

Usually, though, he’s just impatient to get to wherever he wants to be next.

Recently, I’ve been receiving some similar messages from a muscle gone rogue in my right calf. Messages that remind me a bit of a conversation with the dogs.

Sit! Now! Owww!!! Stay! Down! 

A week or so ago, I got some help from my friend and mentor, Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, known to many of you as the magical author and artist, SARK. She sent out an email, sharing about her recovery process from broken ankle. “Unlikely” as this seems, Susan was apparently trying to rush the healing!

Then she recalled some words of wisdom from a physical therapist who said something along the lines of the ligaments and tendons that were injured in the fracture are still healing and when you push them too fast they send “shut down” messages to your brain.

That sounds familiar! In fact, it sounds so familiar that I actually decided to pay attention and took Saturday off. Well, mostly.

It turns out that it is possible to knit prayer shawls while sitting with feet up and a good cup of tea. So, that’s pretty much what I did.

A set of size 11 circular needles and self-striping yarn. Around and around and around. Rainbows of hope.

Hope for me and my healing. Hope for my family. Hope for the ones who will eventually receive these particular shawls. Hope for the world.

That last one takes a bit of repetition for me. But, if you’re going to take a day off, it’s not a bad way to spend some time. And if, by chance, you don’t knit, prayer dots or blowing on dandelion fluffs or some time spent gazing at the spectacular moon will all work, too.

I suspect most of us could use all the hope we can get!

And, if you do knit, check with faith communities in your area to see who might need prayer shawls. These are headed for Shallowford Presbyterian Church, here in Atlanta.

ps… Here’s a sneak peak from my new painting, Blossom and Aria, complete with dandelions filled with hope! You can find more of my work at Sue’s Shop!