Near

Not far away,

Close,

Not somewhere else

And distracted by other things

Your attention wrapped in my proximity

Face-to-face

Hand-to-hand

Body-to-body

No yesterday

No loss

No tomorrow

My only hope

You

And my heart beating

And breathing

with yours

One

No

Adult responsibility

But us

Thought for The Day - A Crowded Space

A space for clutter, items that are one step away from the trash, the back of a metal collector's truck or a gallery! The type of area your mother would threaten to skin you if you brought anyone into! My space! My area, my corner of peace. It's similar to the space that lies on the other side of the grey matter in my cranium. Yes, it's cluttered, but there is so much promise in that space!

Ideas, hopes, plans and a past rich with disappointments and joys, resides between my ears. There are times I can cry - and I do - for the things I want to accomplish! But I don't weep for selfish reasons; I've got hope for family and friends as well. And everything isn't focused on earning millions. But it is about living life as "wealthy minded" individuals! My dreams are that everyone discover their promise living between their ears as well! And having discovered it, or open their minds to the idea that exists, we all live together as God has designed us to live!

When you view us with fear and hatred, choices are made to discriminate and discard. But when the whole is viewed as God's image duplicated across continents, islands and remote places, we are beautiful creations, designed to live up to God's expectation!

You are far more than you perceive yourself, in this moment!

Thought for The Day - What does it mean?

Forgive my rambling this morning. Without the reported high profile, headline making cases of police abuse, I can have my own level of frustration. There is so much turmoil and yet, you and I will get in our cars, on public transportation and go to work - whatever that is for you. We wear clothes and shoes, manufactured by people we may never know, under circumstances that would shame us if we did. We buy food in stores with layers of management, everyone needing a check to take home and feed their families. We fill trash cans full of food wrappers, discarded food and other items and there is no telling where this goes. Stuff, stuff, stuff!

We have relationships that are meaningful, but in all of our relationships, some things are said and others not. We can be forgiving, but repeated disregard continues. We can love and be ignored; we can give our "all" and yet remain empty handed and be left with no hope of change. We can talk, communicate our concern for improvement and never see a change on the other side of our "relationship equation." More stuff, stuff, stuff!

Layers of government; from the local, town, county, state and country to the international community. In our democratic society, we are "allowed" to elect who will "lead" us and unless we as a large constituent enforce our needs and wants, the politicians disappear to their local, county, state and federal meeting places and make decisions we would never agree with! Certainly, we need the processes in place, but in the scheme of getting and keeping our piece of the pie, we can't invest the time to ensure the democratic process works in our favor. It's just more stuff, stuff, stuff!

You know, I'm not coming close to scratching the surface and perhaps this isn't the place to do so. Like the complex layers of our society and our global community, there are both good and bad qualities in each of us. We are both victim and abuser in any given day! We can love and hate, ignore or lavish others with our care. And yet, in all of this, above all of this...

Thought for The Day - Originality

When I was in high school, much of what we created as art projects were either copied in total or style of other artists. At the time - the late 70's, we were still into the casual, less stylized look and still lifes were the order of the day. College was far more freeing, though, as I look back on it, the environment had a lot to do with it. A college, situated in the Chicago downtown area, teachers working professionals; it's a miracle I didn't come out of there with a series of solo shows!

It wasn't until I put down the brushes and pencils - buried them almost - that I allowed my own thoughts to conjure original subject matter. You will see mostly abstract art in my collection, but even the people are straight out of my head. I have a couple photos around that I would like to render someday! But when I do, there was most certainly be my own unique spin on them.

Why the thought about originality? Because, in a sense, this is our greatest asset as humans. We are all born with a unique perspective, another way to consider life and to lend one's talents and perspective to the collective. We may be influenced by others, maybe emulate them, but when I was in high school and each student struggled to render the same still life, each person's seat in the room, and there unique eye, made each drawing different. And that my friends, is how we build our world! Each one bringing their unique self to the table.

Thought for The Day - Spices

It began when I was about 12 years old, one of those Saturday mornings when my mother decided to teach my sister and I how to prepare our own breakfast. Eggs, bacon and toast. That lead to eggs, bacon or sausage and french toast. And that lead to omelets, ham and eventually to pancakes, eggs and whatever breakfast meat available. The consistent part of breakfast was eggs. I had 'em scrambled, fried and the one I could never get used to: sunny side up. But the one part of eggs I loved was the variety of seasonings that could be added.

You grow up in various parts of the west side of Chicago and the western suburbs and the world is a small place. The interests and cultures may seem similar, but it is getting to know people that you find out their likes and dislikes, their habits and music preferences. Expand your circle and you find out how wonderfully complex humankind really is! Foods, music, books, religion; these can all be ways to divide us but they are ways to show how we blend together. You can live next door to a family or individual or a completely different culture and background and spend hours talking about your common interests as well what makes you unique! You can ride public transportation with a banker, nurse, street sweeper or a doctor and have extensive conversations about life and baseball. This is the spice of life!

Thought for The Day: "...Processing..."

The Birth of... 18 x 24 pastels

Digital age

Information technology age

Storing our facts and stories in the cloud for the world to know

Open your mind and receive the message for the day...

...Processing...

If you would slow your pace at least once a day, rise earlier than is needed to rush to work and listen, you would be surprised at the insight gained in the silence.

If you are one of those whose family "always" wakes earlier and wakes with televisions, music and fighting, a quiet walk or just a small break in the middle of the chaos...take it.

What is gained, what can be known and experienced may not be easily repeatable in conversation, but it is invaluable in the rhythms of life.

Repeat this process enough and perhaps, the days won't seem nearly as hopeless. Perhaps you'll find peace and expression of the same.

Begin the process of "...processing..." there is far more to life than is captured by social media and in our digital landscape.

Thought for The Day - God in Flesh

The Essence of Woman - 18x24 pastels

For those familiar with the tradition of Christmas and Christianity, the subject would seem to be the Person of Jesus. It seems immediately apparent that God, incarnate, when "God came near," Immanuel, "God with us," who "tabernacled" with man for approximately 33 years; that is the obvious subject. Not that you are wrong, but open your eyes, family and friends and see what he presented.

Each day, we have the opportunity to "interact," to connect with one another and no matter what you feel about you, your abilities or your fellow man, you do it - you connect. The bed you're lying in was not constructed by your hands and the sheets that covered you weren't woven by you. If you are able to read this, then someone poured plastic, melded small particles of metal to more plastic and silicone, and still others ensure electricity and network connections are available to connect us. Right now, someone is dreaming of another life, one that isn't limited by the demands of a boss; they feel the same way you do: trapped, disappointed and restricted. But like you, they are loved by another, by the person who walks by them, just as frustrated and dreading another days' work. Someone going to sit at a desk, or repair plumbing and electrical, just to make sure someone else can continue on with their life. And yet, the most delicate balance remains, unappreciated and forgotten: our network connection to one another.

We provide for one another; in America, we have what seems like an unlimited supply of resources to choose from. From basic necessities, i.e. food, clothing and shelter, to entertainment choices, there is not enough time in a day to make all the choices, never mind appreciate all the stuff. And again, we ignore that the guy driving in a car beside us, passing in the opposite direction has the same choices. Now stop for a second and consider: how did all this stuff become available? Where does all this stuff come from? From the same guy, regardless of his religious, cultural bias, his loves or hates, driving by you. And what are you providing? Your very existence is a blessing to the next man, woman or child. We are one another's endless supply of divine intervention, connected and bound to one another. For the most part, we are oblivious to the needs and wants of the person we live next to, but yet, love or hate them, we are connected.

God isn't off in a distant land, waiting for a time to return. He never left us and doesn't need to return to us. He left us in charge of one another's care and His plans never fail. Freewill, the ability to choose? Never took it from us and neither does his will supersede ours. No, it is interwoven into the very fabric of our existence; we are the very product of his imagination, of his desire. And while evil exists in the world, his love ALWAYS win!!! Now, what I've expressed may sound like the ramblings of a religious zealot; some will say Eddie is dipping into "new age" thinking. But search your scriptures and then search your heart. The truth lies there. Then look in the faces of those you love and those you hate; (we actually allow religious and political ideologies to drive an imaginary wedge between us, when we serve one another anyway! Silly rabbit!) there you will find God in flesh. Then look in the mirror: isn't that the same sense of the divine looking back at you?

Be.

Thought for The Day - Puzzle Pieces

Sleeping Beauty (in progress) - 8 x 11 pencils

After the Dance (in progress) 18 x 24 charcoal

The subject is a recurring 'theme' in my life, from my earliest experience with jigsaw puzzles, I have loved the very complexity of them. Putting them together, finding the pieces that fit perfectly together and the hours of looking for those pieces to fit perfectly. I certainly owe it to myself to invest in a 1000 piece puzzle or more, and do it soon!

Now mind you, every moment spent with a puzzle isn't pleasure. There are times when I want to toss the whole thing in the trash! The times where you are sure a piece fits, you place it down, only to find after trying to fit another to it's complex corners, there's the tiniest gap! And you begin again, trying to find the right piece! Or the times you sit turning and twisting pieces, and after what seems to be a long time, not one piece is put in place.

I've wanted to be an artist all my life, since I saw my mom casually drawing cubes and flowers in a pot. I learned how to do the same types of drawings pretty quickly and move to "race cars" - this little boy's fascination with power and going fast! Then I moved to drawing people, one of the most complex 'designs' to tackle. Faces, arms, the intricate twist of muscles, bones and flesh and expressions are pieces I'm constantly studying and working on! The ride on public transportation or a walk at lunch is an opportunity to study these pieces and see how they fit together.

And my life is the same; my individual pieces, with my wife, children, extended family, church family, 'work family,' and on and on and on...putting it together; new parts introduced all the time. There are times it's beyond frustrating! I want to walk away from this puzzle and disappear to a place where the pieces are few and far between! But this is the complexity of my life and 'putting us together' is my excellent work.

Thought for The Day - Clear View

Triplicate (in progress) - 12 x 18 panels - Pastels

...Because our intentions are good. Because in spite of our faults  and failures, our fear that the world is collapsing around us and our single indiscretion contributes to the greater apocalypse, we want better. No, we want Heaven and it's promise of perfect health and connected relationships without ulterior motives.

...because we see with jaded eyes, we detect collapse and calamity faster than we do love and good meaning. Because with every well placed thought, no sooner do we look at our world, training and tradition kicks in to tell us that the guy who sits too closely wants to take our "stuff." We don't truly treasure stuff over people, we actually value our human interaction more than stuff. It's just that "stuff" tends to light up at our touch, at least 95% of the time. It responds when we need it to and it waits for us until we are ready to 'play.' But people are fickle; they sometimes return a mutual expression of acknowledgement and sometimes they avoid you as if you don't exist.

...because when we get behind our closed doors,  no one should be able to hurt us, yet we continue to hurt. No matter how we eat right or wrong - justified by great testing food in socially-satisfying situations, or alone where no one laughs under their breath -  exercise, pay our taxes and smile at our neighbors, we don't rise to the desired level or unity we strive for.

Who really wants more stuff? A television doesn't change the condition of your heart if you decide you prefer pain and disappointment over compassion. And a 100" LED Plasma television is no more important than the news about a child abducted in a town 500 miles away.

Intentions, desire and the Highest. Focus there.