Thought for The Day - Prep Work, Changing Weather

...Suddenly the skies were clear, the winds died down and calmer days prevailed.

Yesterday, I scraped my palette for fifty-millionth time this year and then applied the same colors I have, also for the same number of times. I begin applying paint to "Linen, A Storm is Coming" and as I did so, I asked myself why was I doing it? Certainly, for a person like me, the work is never quite complete. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've sat in front of this canvas, or glanced at it over my shoulder as I worked on something else and thought "I could use a shot of silvery blue or orange here." Or thought "the mood in the sky needs to spread from one end to the next," but negated that idea with the sense of a transition over the length of it.

At some point, I did what I haven't in months; I took the painting off the easel. It kind of surprised me because it was just a day before I thought there was no need to rush to complete it. A large 30" x 40" canvas has been sitting in a corner, waiting for this moment and without a second thought, I reached for it, blew the cobwebs off it and placed it on the easel. There was a moment of anxiety, looking at the white canvas. Should I turn it so the 40" is vertical or horizontal? Am I working on the blue Orisha Yemaya or "Calming winds" (working title in both instances)?

After about an hour, the canvas was tinted red, my base coat and color. The storm was passed and the canvas lay length-wise, on the easel. The calm has returned...

I told a friend the other day that sometimes, God answers our prayers and yet we aren't happy because we were looking for his response to appear a certain way or with more flair... Sometimes drama and madness simply stop and we are so surprised at the transition, we aren't sure what to think...

Thought for The Day - Dinner is Served

Since it's fall, I have a desire for soups, stews, chili and pot roast! I love dishes that fill warm as they go down and stick to your ribs. Funny thing: as much as I like dessert, I typically don't eat them in the same meal. The phrase "save room for dessert" is lost on me, because typically, if I have a great meal, my concentration goes into "seconds" and "thirds!"

A month or so ago, I asked a coworker if she had ever had butternut squash soup. She looked at me like I was crazy and made a comment about that being a random thought - as if to say "you're weird." But it isn't weird to think of dishes you would like; I was just sharing the thought. Last week, I picked up a couple butternut squash, intent on trying to make them in my Vitamix machine. I looked up a recipe on the web and was completely blown away! I know squash can be slightly sweet, but the way the chef laid out her recipe, I suspect the squash would be too sweet for my taste! And some of the ingredients she suggested, I didn't have so I thought I would leave this until another time, after I purchased the other ingredients. Besides, my wife made a suggestion: check further, there are bound to be many recipes that don't call for molasses, brown sugar AND oranges!

But as I reflect on this little adventure, it occurs to me how many dishes require a certain amount of ingredients that, to an untrained mind, don't mix well. We, who don't cook, can't imagine putting salt in cookies, or that the flavor, vanilla is practically tasteless, if not sweet, when we put a sip on our tongue. We can't imagine putting sugar in soups or that carrots compliment pot roast and potatoes very well. That is until we taste the end result! Then we are stunned, blown away, completely amazed!

My friend, trust the process! I know you've had it hard. There are moments, days, weeks and in some cases years, when you and your dream seem to be galaxies away, but trust, since there remains a mind to consider the dilemma, you will be brought together; you will fulfill your life's purpose!

Many people go through life, uncertain and troubled. Oh they would never admit it; some of the same people try to raise children, work jobs and be good spouses. It's all very good, but they don't allow the disturbance in their soul to trouble them to the point of responding to the "call." Remember your dreams, hold on to them. In the dark of your present, dull life, recall it. It will be as a beacon, guiding you to a life that is fulfilling and rich!