Identity

There are days when I am not sure who I am. . .

Mother



Wife



Daughter



Sister



Friend



Artist



Gardener



Dishwasher



The list could go on and on. . .



My creative side tells me I should be looking for art, for beauty. . .

or making something to exhibit my style, my desires, my ideas. . .



My mothering side tells me I should be helping the girls have fun, taking them to the library, making sure they are getting outside enough, and eating all healthy snacks, and not watching too much TV. . .



Then the garden needs weeding and mulching. . .



The dishes are piling up, and the sink is getting full. . .



I need to encourage my husband to pursue his latest aspiration, discussing his options, making sure he has my support for the correct things. . .



I need to call Mom, making sure she and Dad are okay, and calling just to chat about ideas, and what they have been up to. . .



I should be making more effort to reach out to my sisters and brother, trying to get in touch, and stay connected with their lives. . .



What are my friends up to today? Do they need encouragement? Do they need help with anything?



With all of these "to-dos" I feel done in. I am trying to keep my head up, and trying to accomplish the things I think I am supposed to. I know relationships are important, and they should be my priority, but sometimes I need time to be myself, and be by myself.

Tea Parties

I regret that I didn't attend a Tea Party on Wednesday.

I have read a few posts from others who did attend. One person who did not attend, got together with a friend and prayed for our country. We should all be so wise and faithful.

A challenge for us all:

To do what we have been called to do from the beginning, fall to our knees and pray to our Heavenly Father-for our leaders, our country, our future.

My Job. . .

This is a post I had written last year, but I need reminding every once and again about my true calling. . .

I was reminded this morning of my chosen line of work. . .I have a very big responsibility every day.I hold in my hands the power to shape and change lives for generations to come. I have the ability to change history for the better--or worse. I choose better. I can teach the right things, or I can teach the popular things. I choose right. I can choose to show love or hate. I choose love.

I am a mom.

Back to Basics

I have learned that I need to keep learning

I see that I need to keep looking

I hear that I need to keep listening

I have been reading, searching the internet, looking at magazines, watching TV, trying to find ideas, inspiration, that 'something' to get me started on the next project (not that I have finished any of the last dozen or so. . .).

This evening it finally hit me. I need to stop looking at what others are doing for a moment, and think about who I am, where I come from, and what my art should be. Don't get me wrong, everything I have seen out here is amazing! All of these incredibly intelligent creative women who seem to be able to continually produce wonderful works of art, either in artwork, cooking and baking, or entertaining and hospitality are fun to follow in blogland.

I just need to follow myself for a bit.

I have been overwhelmed and I need to simplify. Perhaps to listen to that still, small voice that tells me who I am created to be and what I am to create. . .

"There but for the grace of God. . ."

I have been thinking about grace, God's grace, the last few days. In my limited experience, it seems I have been blessed with an abundance of it. I don't mean that I am extremely wealthy in the ways the world counts wealth, or have everything in order in my life, but I know where I could be.

I don't know the reason God has blessed me. I don't know why my siblings and I all grew up in the same family, house, place in time...yet we all seem to be in such different places. The paths we each took in life seem to have led us in very different directions. I cannot say why, but I can give thanks for where I have been, where I am, and I know where I am going!

Obstructed View

ob·struct
Pronunciation: \əb-ˈstrəkt, äb-\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Latin obstructus, past participle of obstruere, from ob- in the way + struere to build, heap up — more at ob-, strew
Date: 1590

1 : to block or close up by an obstacle
2 : to hinder from passage, action, or operation : impede
3 : to cut off from sight (a wall obstructs the view)

--Merriam-Webster.com



The road was the sloppy, slushy, wet mess that roads sometimes are in late January, early February. I drove down the road, trying to keep the windshield clear, but there was one particular spot where the wiper blade was not meeting the windshield. Of course, it was directly in my line of vision.

The thought went through my head: Isn't this so much like our journey through this life? We are trying to get somewhere, accomplish something, and things seem to be going well, but then, splash, something happens and our view is obstructed.

We can see a little bit of what lies ahead, but it is blurry. We try to look through the smear, the blur, straining to see what is causing it. Why it is there, why it isn't going away? We may need to pull off the road for a moment, to clear our vision, but we cannot take our focus off the goal, the road, the purpose for our journey.

Our focus should be on our Creator. What does He want us to accomplish? Sometimes it is difficult to determine the details, but we need to seek His will, His guidance, and ensure we are living according to His word. We will make mistakes. We will turn down the wrong paths, trying to find our way. We will travel muddy roads that lead to obstructed views, but remember to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways aknowlegde Him, and He will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

In the beginning

In the beginning was a whisper. This is a place for thoughts, some random, some inspired, some thought-provoking (hopefully). Some days images, words, or people can make an impression, spark a thought process, create an image in our mind. This is the place where I hope to share some of these happenings. I don't profess to be a philosopher, or scholar, or great thinker. I am just an ordinary person with a mind that wanders. . .