how to ease your heart and make you ok with the world again

We learn resignation not by our own suffering,

but by the suffering of others.

W. Somerset Maugham

Mom ended up in the hospital again these past days,

hence my absence.

I love making art and posting something here

at least every other day,

but sometimes, life happens,

and it's just not as important.

It's never easy to watch a loved one suffer,

and yet, such is life.

Good days and bad...

and when the heart is too unsettled to even think of making art,

i write.

i watch a movie.

I go for a walk near the ocean

and throw questions to the wind

without expecting any answers.

And when my heart is ready again,

i paint.

I draw.

I write some more.

I put my emotions to paper (or canvas)

and with each brush stroke,

or pen line...

the burden is lifted, little by little,

and although i still feel sad,

i feel more grounded and whole again.

It is my therapy.

Art does for me what religion does for others.

Sometimes, you just need to sit with the uncertainty.

(a quick sketch from the hospital...)

Wishing you all a wonderful Thursday.

I look forward to visiting many of your blogs

in the next few days.

Oh, and the good news?!

There is a cool front coming in

and the weather should be less humid and hot

for the next few days/weeks!!

HOOO-AH!!

;-)

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go;

they merely determine where you start.

- Nido Qubein

Almost a year ago, in June 2011,

I participated in a fabulous e-course called

Do what you love, with Beth Nicholls.

It changed things for me and opened more doors

than i ever thought possible.

So when I got the opportunity to share my story

on the Do What You Love website,

I embraced it.

Some say opportunity doesn't knock twice,

but I believe opportunity knocks all the time -

we just don't always answer the door.

So last night, I was in the mood for a mixed media collage.

I began cutting little words that all seemed perfect somehow,

and within a few minutes, 

I had about 20 words waiting to be glued to the page.

Yet after i finished my curly watercolour tree,

only two of the words really stuck out

and begged to be chosen.

So I chose them.

HELLO WORLD.

This morning,

I get an email from the lovely Beth,

telling me that my story is being shared on her website today.

You can find the shared story (and others) here.

Some days just feel like they're filled with grace.

I'll just grab a coffee, put on some good music

and paint.

xoxo