put a little love in your heart...

Yup. It's a big black square.

I used a piece of cardboard from a pizza box

and covered it with black acrylic paint.

Chose a few colours, and started with this...

added a few pencil marks...

covered a few things here and there with white...

flipped it around,

circles, bubbles, dots... ;-)

i was using an older brush when i made these little red marks.
i did them really quickly and once they were done,
i noticed some of them looked like little hearts.

That made me smile. :-)

i actually kinda like it. 
i love the look of layers, one on top of the other.

And this, an inspiring little tip, from Viktor Frankl.

His book, Man's Search for Meaning
is still one of my favourites
even if it's sometimes hard to read.

I have such admiration for people like him,
who not only survive such ordeals,
but who are able to love again
rather than hate,
and spend the rest of their lives
inspiring others to do the same.

Have a happy mid-week everyone.
Thanks for being here...
xox

flight of the recently departed...

Death is a strange thing...

Sometimes, i think of mom and feel

like she's still there.

Like she's just gone somewhere for a little while

and she'll be back.

Sometimes, i hear a song on the radio

and my heart finds its way to my throat

and i feel like i'm gonna choke from sadness.

Sometimes, I realize she's gone for good

and i feel grateful that we had

so many wonderful years together. 

Sometimes, i feel ok,

and then i feel guilty for not feeling worse.

Everything is intertwined

with a fragile ribbon

of sadness.

Months ago, when mom was out of the hospital and doing well,

i bought this print from the wonderful Jeannie Paske.

Some things just speak to us, 

for whatever reason. 

I love it more today than when i bought it.

It's called Flight of the recently departed

and for me, it expressed so clearly

what it feels like to lose someone we love.

I remember people at the funeral telling me

that she was now

in a better place,

or that she was now

an angel in heaven

and rather than comfort me

it would annoy me

that people claimed these things

with such confidence

without really knowing.

I know they meant well,

but they just don't know,

and so instead, why not just say:

"we loved your mother and we'll miss her"?

I don't understand why so many of us

feel compelled to know 

what happens after death.

I know she was here for 74 years.

With me. With us.

That's good enough for me.

And so today is a mindless kinda day...

With our first snowstorm in progress outside,

i'll be tackling this mess

and getting things a little organized again.

At least that's the plan. 

Unless someone shows up with a bottle of wine.

Then the whole thing is put on hold.

I'm just saying. ;-)

xox

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