Informed Opinion

The Phoenix 18 x 24 pastels

The Seed 12 x 18 pastels

Filtered Divinity 18 x 24 pastels

I would like to think I'm smart, that I've figured out somethings on my own, but in truth, I'm reading - meaning someone else thought it, perhaps researched it and wrote it down. Admittedly, I'm not reading opinions and philosophies dramatically different from mine, though I can stomach a short diatribe of dissenting opinions.

Years ago, I was told to blog about art, since I want to present my art. I was told I should discuss my technique and the themes of my painting. Well, today - everyday - understand "this" is my technique. I am informed, filled with wisdom and knowledge. It's applied in colors and layers. Themes develop, messages are conveyed. And for those who choose to listen with their eyes, the words (hidden in layers of colors and shapes) speak VOLUMES!!!

Jagged Edge

Expand 18 x 24 pastel

Sometimes I feel very near that place, the spot where discomfort is dangerous, where life is in jeopardy. And yet, I'm here, now, in this place of comfort. Many times, I wonder if I like discomfort and welcome it into my life. I wonder if I put myself in places to be miserable and prefer it as opposed to comfort and joy. You know, you can make a day in paradise a day in hell!

On the edge, where you don't know whether tomorrow  will come. The place where you think all hope is lost and thoughts of tomorrow are more of the same or worse. Unfortunately, this is what we choose to make reality. Writing this blog does not make me exempt; I most assuredly struggle daily, almost minute by minute, with a sense of misery. So here we sit or stand, on the edge of what we desire above all else and what we choose to accept from life. Somehow, we think the dichotomy is a great place to set up our tent and to hang out.

There is a better place to be, a better choice for our life. It isn't a matter of "deserving" or being "destined" for either one or the other. It is a matter of choosing what is good, right, loving and beneficial. It is both self serving and serves all. It is a choice to live life to it's fullest in all it's wonder and joy. This is our primary purpose in life and to do so using our talents, emotions and love.

Thought for The Day - Doing What's Right

A unique spin on perspective; what I see and how I see it...

It occurs to me "this" daily process could go away; there's a possibility that my mornings can change. I've considered it for a while and not because there is a shortage of "thoughts." I write in this format to encourage, share insights and knowledge as it is communicated to me. I share my perspective and what I'm experiencing and yet...there is so much more to my life.

Writing a blog, poetry, stories; painting, drawing - my outlets. Listening, feeling compassion, being sensitive to the spirit of God's leading, my inlets! And yet, over the course of my life, it's been a constant ebb and flow of this task, this responsibility and "that" outlet. There have been times - there will be more - when I'm not "in line" with God's direction. There are times when I am so uncertain what to do next, that I'm agitated for days and months! But this one thing I know overall: I am making choices to follow God's leading and where He leads...

Thought for The Day - Murky Waters

One doesn't have to go too deep in the water to find the blend of thoughts, feelings, hopes and doubts. ALL OF THAT STUFF is blended, mixed in there and available for use! We are a blend of both good and bad; helpful actions and raging hatred. But life is about choosing: will you live a life of honor or dishonor? Will you live a life of love (and if so, indiscriminately) or will you harbor hatred in your heart?

Thought for The Day - Are You Smiling?

Do you have reason to smile? Is there laughter in your life on a regular basis? Questions, responses...

Waking up this morning, the question came to mind. Thinking about the readers, the question came to mind. Now I know life is full of drama and I'm no exception. Sometimes I have to use an "inside joke" to bring a smile to my face. Something I'm reading while riding in to work does the trick. And the practice, the recalling and the planning for a reason to smile, changes my mood. Work in progress, a natural inclination to wear a scowl, but full realization that the best life lived, is lived purposely.

So again, the question: are you smiling?

Thought for The Day - As it is in Heaven

...so it is on earth.

We are concerned with the measurable, the obtainable, the glitter and the satisfying. And yet there is far more to our world and the world that cannot be seen. About a month ago, I bought a male, blue betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish. Alone in a gallon or more tank, his blue fins are tranquil and calming as he swims around. But my son has a male betta as well and it only takes putting them 'near' one another to see how violent they can be. There is a flaring of an area below their gills as the first acknowledgement of the other male. Then the tails get to waving around like giant flags and they beat against the glass as a threat to the other male in the other tank. We would never put them together because with these males, it is always a fight to the finish! But a typical day, they are beautiful creatures, swimming around in their own world. From the videos I've seen, they are excellent fathers as well, taking care of the eggs of their offspring and then caring for the hatchlings.

We come into this world and leave with the same desire: sustenance and connection. And somewhere along the way, we find ways to fill our lives with dull substitutes for the same. We are beings of such beauty and when soft words, movements and acts of passion and love are displayed, it is pure poetry in motion. And yet, behind that nature lies a part of us that "bristles up" when someone like us - perhaps we believe another like us is a rival - comes around. Oh, we have learned to calm ourselves, but let us spend too much time together, and we look for ways to outshine one another. This is true of both the "male" and "female" of our kind. And yet we are capable of an unlimited creative expressions and acts of love! If our news media ever gets a clue, there are as many stories of kindness occurring each day, perhaps we could balance out our fears, if we heard those stories as well! Have you ever watched a family with a new baby? Have you seen how the mother brings them into a room full of relatives? Even men soften at the presence of a baby and love to hold and coo with them!

There is so much going on in the world, seen and unseen. There are energies and forces happening in the visible, tangible world as well the world we don't see. While there is conflict and destruction, there is a birth, life and constant rebuilding. Search your heart and inventory your life: haven't you seen the evidence that you are capable of both beauty and destruction? Have you not seen that you are capable of tender care as well as rage? Final thought: with so much at stake and so much life-affirming possibility, what is the wisest expression you can make? Consider...

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)