2016 AT THE END

"Auld Lang Syne", a song we sing to end the year and begin a new year.  Some will be doing that this evening.  We count down the minutes, watch the ball drop, kiss our partner and we cheer to the old and new year.

Time is winding down for 2016 as it finally approaches it's end.  It passed way to fast for me.  It will leave us with only memories.  Some are good, some are bad, some were lonely, some were sad....and some brought joy to our hearts.

As we take time to ponder or reflect on 2016, for many of us we would have liked to have had a redo or a chance to change some things that happened.  Maybe wishing we had said some goodbyes to those who left this life and we never got the chance to let them know how much they meant to us or how much we loved them.  Let's hope we learn from it and move on to 2017 and make sure we let those around us know how much they mean to us.

We all can use some reminders of what the past is like...we see mistakes made and see things that brought us such happiness.  The end of this year will also bring the New Year in.  What will be ahead of us in 2017?  Mistakes will be made again, sadness will come, lessons will need to be learned, love, happiness, sorrow....all will be there in 2017.  New adventures are in the making.  I look at a new year just like a brand new journal or diary...white pages as I flip through the book.  What will be written, what will I be telling or writing on the pages of my life for this next year?  Exciting for sure.

As I will take some time this evening and write in my journal to end 2016....I will do reflecting,conjuring up fond memories of fun things I did and I know there will be a few tears shed as well.  It's called living.  With God walking ahead of me and being my Keeper of Time and my Compass, I will follow Him into 2017.  I'm thankful He is there. I know He will guide my steps as I journey along my path.  I will find solace even when there will be some pain and tears as I know He has hold of my hand.  I will be praying my New Year in....and I will say to God, "Show me where I need to go and who I am to meet on my path.  Let me follow You, and I want to let you be my Guide.  What exciting things do you have in store for me in 2017?"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Life's Brush Strokes

2016 is about to come to an end.  Some are jumping up and down saying..."get this year over with"!  Some are looking back with sadness as they lost a family member, lost a friend, some lost jobs, some had major health issues.  So I can understand why some are ready to have a clean start.  The hectic part is over with the holidays and it's back to reality and life in general.  Some going back to work, some going back to school before long, some have major changes to deal with in 2017.  Life goes on, as they say.   We pick up the paint brushes of our lives and get back to mixing the paint and starting the details again.

As a painter one of the biggest lessons I learned was understanding my brushes, the brush strokes that each style of brush could make.  What colors and techniques were I going to use.  How to blend in my colors, and how to control the paint as I would start a painting.  Kind of like my life.  We're all given a brush full of paint.  How do you use the brush to convey the living while we are here.   We can't always control how the paint goes on in our life....but we can learn to go with the flow a bit better.  We don't always have to stay in the lines and sometimes spills happen and a mess can be made....and for some, we can get another color of paint and cover up the mess.  The details will work out. 
  
What will 2017 look like?  I don't know for sure?  Will there be some sadness, some change and pain...you can almost bet on it.  However, I know there will be good times, happy times and memories made.  I know the Master Painter is still painting the brush strokes in my life.  For me, knowing God is in control of the brush....gives me the comfort and peace to know that 2017  will be ok, no matter what is in store.   My faith and trust in the Master Painter is the best brush stroke to have in this canvas called LIFE.

Eyes of A Child

It's closer to Christmas and if you've run to the stores lately.....total crazy right now as it's count down time. We all can get so wrapped up tight with all the things going on that has to be done the last few days and we almost get into the "bah humbug" face of Scrooge. The lines aren't moving fast enough, they are out of this and out of that and mad at ourselves for procrastinating and waiting to the last minute to buy certain items. Little things tick us off.

My daughter, Angie, took this picture of my little Grand-daughter, Ella last year. I love the look of her little face and how she is touching the Christmas tree ornaments and light, not caring that Mommy is taking a picture of her....just wait a few more years. But I looked at the picture and that is what I want right now in my life. That WONDER brought back in my life. The awe factor of looking at and enjoying the lights on the tree and not getting so wrapped up in how busy it all is. Looking through the eyes of a child.

We need some reminders at times to slow it down and look at things like a child does. Go back to how Christmas was magic and the joy it brings....not all the rushing around and wanting to get it over with. Children live in the now....children are quick to smile and give a hug as they say, "I love you." We grownups struggle at it and even become so hard and cynical at times and we just plain miss the heart of what Christmas is all about.

Although my three children are grown and now adults...I thank the Lord for my sweet Grand-kids. I get to re-live the wonder of Christmas through their sweet faces and eyes...to believe in the magic all over again. I challenge you to rediscover the innocence in your own hearts....and think of the true spirit of Christmas. Just slow down and take a close look at the lights on your Christmas tree and think back to simpler times. It will do your heart good.

She Leans

I have a love for old barns.  Always have and the nostalgia that goes along with them. There's a lost era in those old barns.  

While we were on a vacation trip, I had noticed this old barn and took a picture of it.  Was a bit sad to see how it was leaning and falling over.  Oh the stories it might would whisper to us if we would only take the time to listen and let our imaginations run in the field.

After I got home and really looked at the photo, it began to speak to me and remind me how time does effect us all, so this is the little short story that came to my mind.  Little did I know that after I wrote it while looking back over the words it was an analogy of our life and growing older.


SHE LEANS   (November 2013)

Straining against the test of time....she leans.  Ever so hard to stand anymore....she leans.  A long ache of battling the storms and weather in her life.  As she tries with dignity to hold herself high, she is having to succumb to giving way....yet, she leans.

Deep blisters are peeling the deep lines into her shape and form as she proudly shows off her battle scars of the many years she has tried to stand and serve her purpose....and she leans.

How many years longer can she linger and continue on?  Saddened by the lost of longing she once had a fulfilling and vibrant life.  Times of activity and knowing she needed and was an important part of the lives she touched.  Time will tell and....she leans.

So she strains with her last dignity and tries so hard to keep standing.  Wanting to be recognized if only for a bit longer and let others see the pride of this stately old gal if they would only stop a bit and linger to listen to her whisper....she leans.

She vies for a bit more time as she knows that it has become the enemy.  She strains a little more trying to catch some attention as she calls out to the passerby of her glory days and remembered youth....this sad and yet beautiful old barn....she leans.

What Do You Do For a Living?

What do you do for a living?  This question is often asked of us and recently I heard a group of people talking and going through this whole surface question....and to be honest with you, I could tell where this question was going and too often in my life, I had been in their shoes.

Think about it for a minute.  It's a broad enough question and most of the time people are just asking it without really wanting to hear anything other than what kind of job you have.  It's almost a way for people to find out if this person meets their criteria of the FITTING IN WITH MY GROUP or circle.  It's a question that is used at times to judge others and I could tell that was exactly how it was going with the group of young professionals as some had that look of bragging rights going on.  The conversation had turned into one of those, "I could care less what you do for a living because what I do is way more important than you." games.  I noticed a couple of the people were shrinking back some and didn't want to play the game, much less say what line of work they did....as they knew the end was coming and they would be trumped by what they said wasn't important.  Sad really, but we've all been there before.  They needed to see the question in a different way.

What do you do for a LIVING?  Many see this as a job description....I don't see it like that.  If someone asks me what I do for a living....usually someone chimes in and says, "she makes cakes, she's the cake lady."  True, I do make cakes to help pay the bills, but it's not what a do for a LIVING.   I LIVE daily.....making cakes is part of my living, but it's so much more.  I'm blessed because making cakes does make me happy and I've had a passion for it since I was a kid.  Day to day....and more so....what you do LOVE doing and are passionate about is not always about your job.  I tell folks that I'm alive each day and I'm living!!  I eat, sleep, paint art, write, pray, love my husband, my kids, my Grand-kids, my friends.  I love to be ALIVE....to see and look around me all the wonders of this world.  You get it....I'm LIVING.  That's what I do for a LIVING.

I think if we started asking people what they are "passionate about"....would be a much better opening to start up a conversation with them.  It would be more interesting than what job or title do you have?  Maybe I'm wrong, but I think more would be open and share then and not have this feeling of being put on the spot and feel uncomfortable about the job or title they do or don't have.

So back to the group of young professionals....someone finally got to talking about something else and you could see the relief from a couple of them who didn't have to share what they did for a living.  Sad really as I am sure they may have felt a bit left out.  I know in the past I have and I'm sure some of you have too, left a gathering and head home only to feel a bit of let down because you felt you didn't fit in.  We feel crappy because of the job we have and then feel as if we're less of where we are in our lives, because you do your living just as a job title.

So the question should be asked about your passions in living, not your job.....but since it was thrown out there....WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING....my answer is...."I have a passion for LIFE."

REFLECTIONS OF DEBRIS

I stepped up close enough in the rain  to see the reflection in the puddle of water. It looked so neat of how the trees looked from where I stood and how it made for a nice shot. Then as I got closer to try and photograph it....I began to focus on what it really was. The distortion of dirt, grime and debris that was hidden under the reflection.

All that distortion and debris is laying just under that puddle....fragments of what is real. Most of us would say that we have plenty of that "debris" in our lives that we like to keep hidden under the puddle or rug so to speak. But it's part of us....and when you take a closer look and past the reflection we give off..... we need to get rid of some of it.

We're closing in on the end of 2016....hard to believe. It will soon be a time of "reflecting" over this past year and jumping ahead to reflect on what 2017 will bring. We can begin to reflect on losses, things we should have, could have done better or things we never even got around to doing.....hoping that 2017 will be much different. Before you just jump out there.....take the time to really reflect some. Self-reflection is sometimes a missing piece in our lives. Spend some time sitting quietly and do nothing but rest and reflect. It's mind blowing and good for the soul.....especially in this busy driven world we live in now. Take time to recall your memories of who you are and what you are.....take time to recollect the pieces of your life, even the debris areas.

It made me think of a quote I read somewhere: "Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?" I want to be the "real deal", the person that is not the distortion and filled with debris. I want to make sure I get rid of the crap that will hold me down or make me feel trapped of wishing I had done better in my life. REFLECTION.....is a good tool for making sure we take inventory of our lives.

Great words from King Solomon:
"As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person." (Proverbs 27:19 NLT)

Short Pants....But So Is Life!

As a teen girl growing up and being tall, I had a hard time finding blue jeans or slacks (as they called them back then in the Dino days) that were long enough to fit me. My Mom would sometimes have to try and let the hem out as much as she could, or sew a bit of binding tape to try and give them more length. When bell bottoms were popular I was so happy as I could sew some neat print type material to the bottoms to make them lots longer, to drag in the dirt and look very cool, which my Mom didn't think was too cool. Sometimes I even had to buy teen boys jeans as they would be long enough to not get made fun of for having HIGH WATER pants or someone would say, "You wading in water today?" Then laugh or make another joke about my short pants. 

So why say "short pants, but so is life?"  Bringing it together made me laugh. Here's one of those stupid sayings or how did she connect the dots to that? Simple. We can get like I was when my pants were always too short.....worry about how others saw me and spend so much of our time trying to fit in and look like everyone else to keep people from making fun of how we look. All the time spent trying to conform to what others or society was saying was the "in thing" or the "latest" fad or look.....and in just a matter of time, it moves on to something else. We work and work a big part of our life trying to do and go and be.....when our life is flying by us. Gotta have the latest stuff or this isn't good enough and I need this and that and so we work our butts off to get and have. We have so many danged storage units in town for storing all the crap we have...doesn't that say something about having and working too much? Things that really won't matter in like 6 months time or a year....and we are on to something else that is taking seconds, minutes and TIME to try and be like what everyone else is or wanting us to be. Our pants are too short and we don't want to not fit in!

I'm in my early 60's.  Life is too short. I am reminded of it daily as I just look at myself, my kids, my Grand-kids.....and yes, my Mom was right. The older we get the faster it goes. Sadly, it's not just the OLD. I hear small children talk about how fast the time goes. They need to take time to just be kids.....society doesn't let them be kids anymore. We don't sit and just think and just enjoy not doing anything for a little bit or relax. I got to thinking about comparing it to something that popped in my head. I mean we all hear people say....LIFE IS TOO SHORT. Enjoy it while you can.....make the most of your opportunities, you only go around once....on and on. And I see myself getting older and I don't know about you but my days zip by. "The older you get the faster the time goes by." I get it....I see it as I turn the page on my calendar and we are almost to the end of another year.  Time does slip by and it does go by so quickly. 

LIFE, it is too short.....and so are my pants. And it's ok. I am not going to worry about spending so much time on petty things....it's not worth spending anymore of my time, which is so precious anyways.....on trying to fit in, or look like everyone else or have what they have. (I never really did that and I'm not starting now!) If my pants are too short....so be it.....I'm not wearing them for you....I'm wearing them for me and that's ok. I like me for me. I need to slow it down and find things that bring me real joy and not worry about getting and acquiring things...especially to fit in or be the latest trend. So be happy if your pants are short.....be who you are and not like everyone else....life is too short to spend trying to please everyone else. Pants can be made into shorts.....it'll save you time of having to go try to find a pair later on.

Driftwood Beauty

I bought a different kind of Christmas wreath the other day.  I wasn't looking to buy one, but saw this one of all places at Cracker Barrel, while meeting my daughter and family for brunch.  I noticed it, being driftwood and it caught my eye.  It was unique looking and had that artsy look that I like.  I started to walk on through and not buy it and then again, it made me take a second look seeing that it was 40% off, that kind of helped to seal the deal and I bought it.

After I got it home....is when I got to really taking a closer look at each small section of the driftwood and how they had placed it all together to make a nativity sculpture out of it.  The art effect was what pulled me in to notice the hands, bodies of Mary and Joseph and even the baby Jesus.  Just pieces of wood, yet placed just so to make the design that made it stand out.  Nothing fancy, nothing adorned with colors bursting of gold and silver, nothing really to make it be of grandeur or more elaborate.  It was plain and simple.  
Driftwood...that's what it's made of.  Wood that isn't special, the remnant leftovers pieces that have been washed onto a shore or beach by the sea, lake or river.  In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance.  So much like the true story of Jesus.  Mary and Joseph, a couple having a baby.  A speck in a crowd who had to travel to be a part of the census at the time.  Leftovers, tossed to the side by what society would have thought of them.
   
Jesus, born in a manger.  There was no room for the leftovers that had been washed onto an overflowing amount of people of the day.  The simple, the passed over, the ones who were not rich or full of vibrant colors and so they would have not been noticed.  And so Jesus came in a lowly, everyday kind of way....but he came for everyone.  Even to this day, people don't take a close look at who Jesus is.  They don't want any part of him....He's driftwood to them, nothing special or they see Him as a nuisance.  Someone they don't want any part Him..  Sadly, I feel for them.  They miss out on what a wonderful blessing He is and could be to them in their life. And I’m not talking about church…I’m talking about Jesus. 

Many of us think we have it all figured out, when in reality we have no clue at all. Most of us if we are honest feel like driftwood.  We are the ones tossed aside and drift along, hoping and seeking someone out there who will come along and scoop us up out of the crappy waters of life we are in.  Jesus does that.  He will take all the pieces of your life and bring them together to make something unique and beautiful for others to see...if you let Him.  I know it's true....because He has in my driftwood life.  He’s still placing and putting my life together.  He sees the worth and beauty in each of us, even if we feel like driftwood.

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."  (Luke 2:7 KJV)

A Day of Painting

All in a days work, some would say.  However, my painting is not what I would call work.  I do sell some of my paintings, but it's not what pays the bills.  It is something I "love" to do.  I drew, painted and loved art growing up as a kid and into college.  But somewhere along the path after college it got placed on the back burner.  Marriage, kids and making a living decorating cakes tend to put a damper in trying to keep an easel and paints left out for little hands to get in to.  And there was my love for art....on the back burner.

It wasn't until about 4 years ago, that my older brother, Ron encouraged me to get back to "slapping some paint" as he called it.  He was a great painter, sculptor, photographer, you name it, he was a natural Renaissance Man.  He contracted Hep C, which turned into liver cancer and he knew his wise words were so ever truer than they had ever been.  "Life is too short, he told me."  Why was I a spending so much time making cakes for everyone and yet not doing what he knew was still in my heart.....painting.  So his words stuck with me and I was tired of the rat race of decorating cakes to the point I had to have some knee surgery and knowing I didn't have to be killing myself all the time to make cakes.  It was time to put something on hold and get back to painting.

I slowed it down on the cakes and so thankful I have.  I mean, I still have a booming business with my wedding cakes, but it has lifted the load off to where I can take time out to have "A Day of Painting" if I want to.  And painting is good for my soul, as I have missed it for so many years.  Thankfully, my brother was able to see some of my paintings before he passed away in 2014.

There is not a time when I am sitting with a fresh canvas sitting in front of me and I go to pick up the paint and a brush, where I don't think of my brother, Ron.  His encouragement fills my heart as I begin to see life come to the canvas in colors being "slapped" out and I feel his words ring in my ears of making life count.

So it is with many others who have a passion for singing, writing a book or short stories, painting, quilting, anything that you love to do and brings you joy.  It's what makes us live and feel good.  What brings that understanding in our heart and soul of doing what we feel we have been called to do.  It's where we fit and feel the most.  

A day of painting....good for this soul for sure.