how books and doodles make a difference

hello folks.

A few gifts from Amazon... from me, to me. :-)
The best kind.

When i was younger, i was full of questions.

Curious about everything from

why is the sky blue

to how do we know to breathe

to why do so many people wear fur coats in church. ;-)

Mom would answer most of my questions,

but whenever she got tired of the asking,

or no longer knew how to answer,

she would simply say:

"c'est un mystère de la vie"

(it's one of life's mysteries)

So when i saw this book,

you just know i had to buy it, right?

Plus, i love the cover design. :-)

This morning, i did this quick doodle
with Sharpie markers on photo paper
and wrote this...

It feels good to write and draw and doodle.

It helps me make sense of my world,
the same way music does
or watching the sunset
or the moon,
or feeling the wind on my face.

Enjoy the day - whatever that means for you.

If you don't feel like being grateful, don't.
If you feel like venting for an hour, do.

In the end, it really doesn't matter.

As long as you're breathing... :-)

love to all of you...
xox

memories in scraps of paper...

hello friends...

my blue room is a mess these days...

I cleaned part of the kitchen today
and found several notes and numbers 
from mom's stay at the hospital.

I hesitated to throw them out.

You'd think i'd want to rid myself of these memories
but i don't do well with shoving things under the rug.

So like most artists,
i made a collage with them.

When the time comes to sort out mom's things,
I know i'll find a lot of handwritten notes
and i suspect i'll be doing something with some of them
in my journal or on canvas.

yes, my mother tongue is french...
Yay!! Bring out the balloons!! ;-)

The nurses and doctors in palliative care 
had the kindest
most compassionate hearts...

Mom wanted to be a nurse...
she had the same giving, compassionate, kind heart.

Actually, she cared for so many people in her life,
she kinda was a nurse, even if unofficially.

Maybe the nurses and doctors recognized her
as one of their own
and gave her the royal treatment.

Maybe Karma really does exist
and she was being rewarded somehow
for good behaviour. 

i'm just grateful they took such good care of her.

And this afternoon, I had a wonderful surprise in the mail.

I bought this book a short while ago,
and had actually forgotten about it.

It came in the mail today,
and made me smile.

By Rachel Awes...
at all I did was listen.

Such a beautiful book,
filled with wise insights on life
and wonderfully colourful illustrations

like this one...

and this...

And who doesn't love a personally handwritten note?

Wishing you all a wonderful week

with star filled skies.

(cause stars are awesome!!)

xox

life goes on...

hi everyone. 

(A gift from Michelle... a very thoughtful gesture during difficult times)

Today feels like the perfect day to get back to blogging...

It's snowing outside here (the first snow of the season)

and it's a quiet kind of Sunday.

We're meeting dad for dinner later on, but for now,

i'm enjoying a delicious hot chocolate,

and i'm happy to be here with all of you. :-)

Another thoughtful gift, from Lori... I was touched by so much generosity.

Blogging has restored my faith in humanity. :-)

Yes. Patience and compassion...

Lovely cards and hand made journals and comfort pieces
that warmed more than just my shoulders.

Messages from so many of you that made it to my heart.

In times of such sadness and loss,
i appreciated every little thoughtful moment shared,
every little piece of comfort sent my way.

It really made a difference.
YOU made a difference
and made the sadness easier to bear...

And now, life goes on

so last night, it was time to go back into the blue room

and make art.

Lots of lines and dots...

... and more lines and dots...

and gentle quotes...

And this little doodle done on a tag
with Sharpies.

I have a whole package of tags, just waiting to be painted on,
doodled on,
written on,
drawn on...

All in due time.

Thank you all for being here...
xox