Thought for The Day - Bus Stop

Standing at the corner, underneath the sign, the bus doesn't come sooner because you look down the street. Neither does it come when you look away or at your watch. It doesn't come when you think about being late or what your boss, spouse or 'significant other' will say. It comes when it is time, after it has stopped at the previous stop and crossed the intersection before your stop. And when it comes, simply get on, take a seat and relax. You're on your way.

So much of life is waiting and worrying. We stand or sit in the right place. But we get up or walk away, pacing, trying to figure out if our "desired" outcome isn't manifest because of a shortcoming in us. We arrange our lives, move stuff around, talk "it "up or insult it down, all the while our hearts crying out for results. Sometimes, we give up and walk away; we wrongly conclude "it aint happening," and turn our backs on our dreams...

Some grow tired of waiting for the bus and wave down a cab. The cost of a bus is much cheaper than a cab, even if the cab puts you exactly in front of your ultimate destination. It cost you far more than you planned to pay! Or worse, accepting rides from strangers - nothing worse or more dangerous!

...stay the course. Don't give up on your dreams or the efforts you've put in place to receive your blessing! IT. IS. COMING! Wait a little longer...almost there...

Thought for The Day - Time is Ticking

I know I can't be alone when I say this: I spend more time focused on "time" than it seems possible! I sit to write, my wrist watch sits in front of me to ensure I'm not "wasting time." As if that isn't enough, I find myself pressing the button on my phone to confirm the time. Or I'm checking the time on my computer for the time. I get to the gym and I'm mindful of the time; the time I get there determines how much I get done. And the time I leave, determines how quickly I get home and back out the door for the "9 - 5."

Up before dawn most mornings, trying to ensure "enough time" to get in personal time, I'm ever mindful that my time is limited.

And in the middle of it all, I wonder: "Will I ever have "time" to slow down? Will this pace and the constant checking of watches ever get to a point I can focus on the current activity without concern for the next?"

Time isn't the enemy; the enemy is my obsession with squeezing in a life full of tasks!

Thought for The Day - Patience, Son

Linen with a swirl

Antsy! Like a child waiting for their birthday party. Like a groom waiting for his honeymoon. On pins and needles, can barely stand still. But the process isn't complete and there's work remaining.

A young lady I taught in Sunday School a long time ago, announced to the world that she's a visual artist. She explains in the many social media, her process of creating as "play" and her creativity involves trying out forms and struggling with the "love/hate" relationship of the process. Same here! Since it takes me "forever" to complete one piece, no matter how simple or complex, large or small, there are times I have to place the piece out of sight, to avoid tossing it in the trash! The current work, "Linen with a swirl," seems like it's taking a long time and every stroke seems like a repeat of the last. I can see progress, but at times, it isn't enough. But this is where patience is exercised, this is where I have to allow the "child" to grow.

There are many processes and expectations in my life. I am forever a "dreamer," always hoping for a better day. There are times I wonder will I die with incomplete dreams and so often, it doesn't matter. For now, the dream of creating is realized and this platform is my gallery.

Peace.

Thought for The Day - Natural

Linen with a swirl (in process) 24 x 30 oils

As the paint dries, my thoughts turn in various directions...

It's a process that works in me. Like having a long day, and mine are typically 19 hours a day, and being so exhausted, you can't help but have a deep sleep. But in lying down, my head sinking into the pillow, with that final adjustment of shoulder hunched into the edge of the pillow, my thoughts become visual, my consciousness returning to other places. I have learned, though, to allow whatever dreams occur to instruct me at other times; I rarely remember what I've dreamt. I do know the dreams are present because there is always the sense of a message there.

It isn't my desire to allow paint to dry on the palette; I would rather it dried only on the canvas and preferably after a painting is completed. But that is not the course of life for me at the moment. Besides, I get to spend more time in quiet communication with the latest piece(s) and doing so, I better understand what's needed, what is requested of me. Certainly, there are times when I'm anxious or ready to get my hands on it, but time does not permit, as I'm running off to begin my work day.

The practice, the patience, the waiting for "things to turn" and evolve...at moments, it is beyond difficult, like spending your entire life waiting. But in the process, I learn more about me, God and His purpose for me.

Peace, be still.

Thought for The Day - Passing the Time

More than fingers pointing in the middle of a circle
Or the numbers that change on your phone
It is what we do,
When we're doing nothing
When we're doing too much
And when we sleep

Time is a companion
Whose stark truth
Makes us regret
How much we've wasted
It's the enemy of romantic love
A moment
An hour
A day
Never enough
to say "I love you"
In new ways

Time does not move fast
But in relation to us
It's a tortoise
Whose shell we chase after
Especially
When it's time to go to the place we can't tolerate
EVERYDAY
It moves far too slow
When we're trying to get away from that same place
And when we allow it
It lingers and slows to an imperceptible pace
When we listen to a good tune

Time
A marker
An indicator
that we were here
And tomorrow we are there

Thought for The Day - Fishing

There are times when I fully realize, what I desire in that moment is not in my power to bring about. What happens next is not so much a conscious request or prayer, but more like a mental note written on a slip of paper and passed to God. I have heard myself say "some day" or "I would like to have _____" and the thought doesn't linger, but neither is hope abandoned. And most assuredly, in due time, what I desired comes to pass.

I have never thought of it as anything more than a connection to God that, in it's purest form is a request between a son and his father. He knows my needs and my wants and much more than that, He knows timing. I would love to say I'm "at peace" and patient enough to quietly wait for everything he would bring "to pass." No, there are times I'm like an impatient fisherman - can the two words be used to describe a fisherman? I pray with great fervor, want to see 'a change' as soon as I open my eyes. Then I pray more, and from day to day, pleading with God to send a miracle.

There are times, I sit, examining the course my life has taken or the path I think is best. I think it's important to spend time in quiet reflection; it's a way to gain insight and understanding not found in books or the latest health craze. Doing so, I find parts of my 'puzzle' coming together  with little or no effort. And like a patient fisherman, what I desire, what I hope for, finds me.

Peace