Ok! I am getting personal.
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| Some of my paintings~ my journal with Don's old fountain pen. click on picture for larger view |
Oh my goodness, here I am again peering out the window on the door by my computer desk this is my favorite spot in the house. The sun is beaming long streaking fingers through the dark roof scraping , and angry clouds that are still hanging around in the west. It looks as though we may have a collision of weather over Kentucky today. As always, "This day belongs to the Lord! Let's celebrate and be glad today." Psalms 118:24 quoted from my favorite Contemporary English Version.
The scattered conditions outside mirrors my concentration this morning. A hodge-podge of ideas seems to be refracting my thoughts the way a copper penny in a plastic bag of water refracts light. I am searching for a settled thought. I may just go with the flow and let the idea that pushes to the forefront escape through my fingers.
I think that I am going to describe my current life and interests, and my "now" time pursuits, which I consider "blessings of God". May I introduce you to my town? It helps to know a person better. Many people have rather humorous and varied thoughts about Kentucky. They think of hillbillies, shooting and/or marrying cousins, bare fee; swigging a little "shine" (as in moon), you know the mantra; on it goes. I am not saying this did not happen in other eras and in some venues. We tend to hide those things in the dark valleys and shadows of steep KY hills. I live in a small city on the western edge of the state of Kentucky. We cling tightly to the yellow sandy banks of the Ohio river. Visit my bustling home-town, it is the centerpiece of this clip.
As I grow older, hobbies are remaining an important part of my life. I have a fondness for writing, painting with acrylics, and making jewelry. It seems that I become motivated in the same way for each activity. I experience the desire to express thought, color, and dimension. On any day, it is a toss-up to which craft I will choose.
Friends often ask, "How do you decide what to write about?". I don't. The words find me. How egotistical that sounds; however, somehow they do. I may hear a word, or a phrase, and suddenly the way they sound, feel on my tongue, the thoughts they bring to my mind, I have to write them down. The words become full of meaning, have depth and layers, and completely ensnare me, so I flesh out the words or phrase. I enter an almost ethereal zone; writers, you understand.
I have been painting since I was a young bride. I kept busy taking lessons, and learning the art while my bridegroom served his country in Germany. I still get lost in the paintings. A blend of colors comes into my mind, and the thought of how I could arrange them becomes compelling. I pick up a brush, and it takes on a life of its own. Bits and pieces of color are reflected to me as eye memories kept in a kaleidoscope. It is not a mystery; It is a blessing of God given to help one such as me deal with complexities of my life as it continues.
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| A few of the necklaces etc. I've made. click picture for larger view |
Recently, I began to make jewelry. Again, it is because I love getting caught up in the color, style, texture choices. I like to make pieces that tell of their past, using the stones of the earth, dull, shiny, metal and wood, constructing them in unusual ways. I have the yen to express emotion with my work. I know that sounds goofy, but I don't care for doing the expected, this is due to a little bit of the rebel that lives in my quirky personality, and it shows in the pieces that I have designed. I like to take the ugly and undesirable stones and beads and create something unique and beautiful. I think I may have received this "transforming" desire from a higher source.
I can see God's own handiwork, as I realize that He placed me in my hometown to thrive and grow, and to find the life mate and the church family He chose for me. I thank Him for this personal touch. I am assured that "He knows my name and He knows my every thought", and this being so, I thrive as a child of the King in my own, shall we say "renewed" childhood.
I believe he passed along a wee bit of His attributes through the creative leanings that He has allowed to develop in me. I can worship and pass Him along to others through the blessing of the written word. Not all will enjoy my writings. They are not meant for everyone. Along the way, there may be a heart or two that I can lift or a direction I can give that would bring honor to my gracious Lord. I find that I don't have to understand it, just give thanks for the craving to do it.
As I paint, I gain peace for my days and nights causing me to have a stilled mind and soul that can concentrate more fully on Him. In calmness, I will be inclined to let the drawing power of His reflecting light shine through me. He allows me to see the transformation of a blank canvas by my hand, in turn He may allow me to see my prayers answered and the canvas of lives transformed by His hand.
Jewelry making pleasures me, and I get to pass on happiness to others. It fulfills a certain need for earthly joy and helps to make me a well-rounded person. This art is a little selfish in a way, because I want those who have my pieces to remember me. For some reason, it is important that they smile when they do, and whisper a prayer.
My life is full of the blessings of God, and I thank Him that He has given me the wisdom to know it and the will to believe it, through all times. I especially give thanks for aspects of my being that appreciates color, words and working with them. So there, I've shared a bit it is your turn to get personal.
