to be chosen, or not to be chosen...

hello everyone...

I've been writing more than making art these days.

Yup. 

Almost a year already since mom's been gone.

I'm still going through her things, slowly.

Found this little glass flower in a box.

June.

The month of my birth.

I'm guessing mom wanted to give this to me.

Most of the things i find

make me smile

but the occasional find

makes me sad

that she is no longer here.

Sad that she suffered.

Sad that she still wanted to do

so much.

Without wanting to offend anyone,

it makes me cringe

whenever i hear someone say

"prayer works".

It didn't work for mom.

It didn't work for my friend Liz

who died at 50,

leaving two young & sad boys behind.

It doesn't work

for many of you out there,

who are suffering, one way or another.

Who are living difficult lives.

It just makes me sad

when we say these things

because it implies that prayer works for some

and not for others

and so it must mean

that the others didn't pray enough,

or to the right god,

or that god picks & chooses who he listens to.

Either way,

it's all nonsense to me.

To believe this divides us more than unites us.

Life is a cycle.

Good things happen

and bad things happen

regardless of how much

or how little you pray.

The strength you need

when darker days fall upon you

comes from LOVE

more than prayer.

Anyone who has seen the stars in the sky,

the sunset and the sunrise,

understands how sacred life is

and how this is all the prayer

one really needs.

xox

flower child...

Courage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

“I will try again tomorrow”.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage comes in all shapes and sizes,

doesn't it?

For some, getting out of bed in the morning

feels like an act of courage.

For others who face debilitating obstacles

 on a daily basis,

and who do so with a peaceful heart,

a strong determination

and without resentment -

courage is simply a way of being

in the world.

Their way of being.

Surely, they have dark days or moments,

but they choose to move ahead

and face the day as if it were their last.

I believe certain circumstances

give birth to courage.

My own mother has become

far more courageous 

through her journey with cancer.

We all know people who have faced

unsurmountable situations

and have surmounted them

with tremendous courage.

One of my favorite books is Viktor Frankl's

Man's search for meaning.

If you want to learn about courage,

read this book.

Sometimes, courage means

wearing flowers in your hair

when what you really want to do

is throw in the towel.

It's not about being in denial,

it's about choosing to create

 your own circumstances

whenever and however

you can.

I had fun doing this one last night...

Acrylic, collage, and oil pastels on paper.

I believe being an artist

takes courage.

Yes, I do. 

Sharing art takes courage.

Like being naked in front of a crowd.

Well, ok, some of us may be 

totally ok with this... ;-)

Go out and practice courage today.

Apply for that job.

Quit that job.

Tell someone how you really feel.

Take that walk.

Take that nap.

Express gratitude.

Move to the ocean.

Make a decision.

Volunteer.

Paint that masterpiece.

Wear flowers in your hair.

xoxo

Joy Seeker

We do not remember days,

we remember moments.

Cesare Pavese

Statistics show that there are higher rates of heart attacks

on Mondays than any other day of the week.

I believe this is because

so many of us work at jobs we hate.

I hope you're not one of them...

and if you are,

i wish you baby steps towards 

an eventual peaceful, gentle exit.

We often stay in a crappy job

because we need to pay the bills,

we need to eat.

Most of us tend to believe we need this job

to make ends meet. 

We need to make this much money

otherwise, everything would fall apart, right?

Wrong.

I'm here to tell you 

that it won't fall apart.

That there may even be a chance

that you'll be happier in the end.

I speak from experience.

When i lost my job (several years ago now)

we were in the process of building a new home.

My salary was the most stable of the two

and we had our 8 year old son to care for.

Two weeks after i lost my job,

my husband was laid off.

Long story short: we not only survived,

but we strived.

We spent less, worked hard,

compromised (temporarily)

and kept our courage.

We discovered that as long as we had a place to sleep

and food on the table,

we were ok.

This isn't the 1920's anymore...

there are so many other options out there

to set you free from work that makes you feel 

like a caged bird.

We discovered that we really needed

far less things than we thought.

And you need far less than you think.

Unless of course,

you're keeping up with the Jones'.

If that's the case, 

then yes,

you need a shitload of money. :-)

I believe there is more value to be found

in watching waves on the shore

or a soaring bird in a blue filled sky

than in any Lexus,

or Rolex,

or Gucci bag.

Of course i still work,

but i work to live,

I don't live to work.

And I do what i love as much as i can.

That includes art & writing,

listening to good music,

meditative morning walks,

watching the waves

and the soaring birds

in the blue filled sky...

Wishing you all your own blue filled sky today...

and maybe even a pretty flower. 

xoxo

red