Thought for The Day - "I"

I'm Listening 24 x 36 Oil

Yes
I am here
This place where you sit
Quietly
Pouring out your soul
Clamoring for answers

I am Here
Here
Here
Where your eye is
And where it cannot go
I hear each syllable
And the intent of your heart

In the light of day
You look for me
In the faces
The movement of people
And the noise of the day
Oh I am there
But your vision is clouded
Looking for an expression
Perfection in skin and tone

In the darkness
When you sleep
I am
The movements unseen
The silence of a morning
Not quite yet born
I sit perched
And quick as a dart
I am here
Over there
And back here again

Between the hearts of two
And the heartbeat of one
I speak
Between the "whoosh"
And the "thump"
In the silence
Like a gap between notes

In the fruit
at the core
where the seed lies
waiting
I wait
In the ground, will I go
Or disappear in the trash
So much more than the question
And greater than destiny

I am the journey
The answer
I am the question you ask repeatedly
And would never move your mind to form
I am the night
And the noon day
The particular love you cannot have
And the mystery of the Shroud of Turin
Am I you ask
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You wait for a reply
Because you think you've asked for information
But in your heart
You've asked for interruption
Disruption
A change you control
I am not remote
for your control
I am timeless
And limitless
And just before you breathe your last
I am...

Thought for The Day - Where Does It All Lead?

The planning, the dreaming, the effort and the failures...where does it all lead? The times you couldn't wait to get to the next step up, in your career, your relationship, to see the kids grow up and move out; where does it leave you? When you moved from this "hick town" to the big city or from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a town where everyone knows everyone, now what?

We are always reaching, grasping, trying to be there, rather than here; to make it big and to be rich. For what? What are we gaining that we didn't have before? And what are we losing that made us who we are? We read the latest self-help book, the Bible or other sacred texts and yet we remain petty and greedy. To what end?

There are moments when you stop and wonder what's it all for? And what am I gaining through all this effort? I'm merely asking questions today, wondering if this is where you find yourself as well. It's a moment of hypercritical reflection; a moment where I wonder if my life means much more than my next exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen.

What about you? You ever feel this way?

Thought for The Day - Now What?

I'm Listening 24 x 36 Oil

BIG QUESTION

Usually followed by a quick absentminded stare at nothing and everything in particular. The face gets a far away look and if you look closely, you can see the wheels turning in the individual's head. It's a big question because usually, the context of the question follows a crisis. We either ask it of ourselves, of someone who is a partner in our crisis, or it's asked as a challenge to create crisis.

Now what? What will you/I/they do next? Too often, we are unprepared to answer the question. It's a challenge to our ability to act, to respond and to be prepared. I'm facing the question at the moment, having arrived at a place in my life where I feel like I've reached the end of my resources. I still have life in me, I am relatively healthy and strong and capable of making decisions, but now what? What do I next? What's my next move? I'm considering what's desired, what I pray happens, but on my part, I'm not clear. And for all my past successes and failures, this "turning point," this curve in the road, I'm uncertain what can be done to prepare. This is a moment where I bend my knee, bow my head and look to Him who is able to "keep you from falling and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy..." (Jude 1:24)

Thought for The Day - Calmly Solving Problems

A number 2 brush in hand, dab the brush in linseed oil, then, the red, the orange, the yellow and white. Mix it against the palette to even the colors...is that it? Not sure; place it in an area of the canvas where the color closely resembles it. Did it blend? Yes, continue to the area you originally aimed to paint. 

Strokes go on smoothly and when they don't, I'm turning the brush, changing the direction of the stroke; all the while, gauging the remainder of the painting and deciding where else we are going in the time allowed. Decisions are made, questions asked and answered. Other questions remain unanswered, getting strung in front of me and given their own orbit around my other thoughts. 

When I reach snags, hurdles and iron walls, I back away, survey alternatives, including setting this work aside till I can safely throw it away. But the peace and tranquility of working in this oily medium is like none other! 

There are days, comparing the 8 hour grind to this work, where I'm so ready to be in the studio, it's near unbearable! But I've come this far, gotten to this point, not because I had all the answers, but because I was willing to ask the questions. 

There are moments when the galaxies seem to turn at a dizzying pace; the problems to be solved are greater than applying this ray of light to the canvas. The problems go as far as generations to come, what influence will my decisions have on them? If I stay "nailed" to the office chair, how ill that be perceived? When the weight of my surmising gets too heavy, I walk away from them, leaving them to resolve at a later date. 

And just now, one of the answers, a possible solution to one of the queries revealed itself. In the calm of the moment.

Thought for The Day...Just a thought

Filtered Divinity  12 x 17 pastels

What if...

What if your life is more significant than your worries?

What if tonight, when sleep wraps over you, it takes you off to a better you?

What if, when you wake you find all the mysteries of life are laid out like intersecting road behind you and you are at the destination of knowing everything?

What if love is more than romance, but less than being "good friends?"

What if...