A Very Special Day

Today I'm excited to share my latest journal page and wish my little sister a very happy birthday!

I have three sisters and all of our names begin with J.  Anyone who knows us even a little knows that we are j's 1,2,3 and 4.  I am j3 and Jill, whose birthday is today is j4.

Jill came into my life when I was just two years old so I don't remember this world without her.  The picture I used for today's journal page was taken as I was leaving for my first day of kindergarten.  I wonder if Jill wanted to go with me that day.  We would have had a blast in the kitchen center!

My little sister and I did everything together when we were young.  We laughed, we fought, and we put on countless "shows" for our big sisters and our parents.  Every summer morning we made mud pies for our playhouse bakery and we spent entire afternoons pretending we were being chased by "the robbers" who were trying to harm our twin baby girls (our matching Baby Tender Loves).  Somehow we always made a narrow escape in time for dinner.  It was really quite magical.

Life was simple and beautiful.  We had no idea how complicated things would get as we grew up. We had no idea I'd get married and move thousands of miles away.  We had no idea how many months of her life Jill would spend in hospitals because of a respiratory condition.  We had no idea how hard so much of it would be but looking back I see how rich it has been as well.  The hardships have helped us treasure the good times and we've learned to look for beauty in unexpected places.

The most beautiful people I've known are those who have known trials, 

have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.

 -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Recently Jill and I amused ourselves one night in her hospital room by drawing left-handed portraits of each other.  As you can see, we are both most definitely right-handed.

I have to say, it is amazing that she captured such a great likeness of me since she had an oxygen sensor on one of her fingers at the time.  We laughed hysterically.  We laughed because the drawings were so silly, then we laughed even more because we needed so much to feel joy and to be okay with life as it was just at that moment.  Laughter is such a powerful weapon. 

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. 

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. 

Nelson Mandela 

Jill,  I want you to know it is an honor to walk through life with such a brave and daring girl.  I am amazed at the depth of your strength and courage and the way you come through every trial with your humor and your generosity in tact.  You will never know how much it inspires me when you continue to look for and celebrate the beauty that is in this world.  Thank you for being my cheerleader and for always being able to make me smile.  I am proud to be your sister and oh, I do love you so.  -j3

Summer Reading

One never knows what chance treasures these easy unconcious rollers may toss up on the smooth white sand of the concious mind;

 what perfectly rounded stone, what rare shell from the ocean floor.

 - Anne Morrow Lindberg, Gift from the Sea

I no longer keep track of how many times I have read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg, a text filled with wisdom and peaceful observance of the stages and rhythms of a woman's life. Nearly every summer I revisit the pages of my well-worn and well-loved copy, amazed at the peace that washes over me when I see my own questions, my own musings so precisely verbalized by a woman who lived a life so very different from mine. It reminds me that we are not alone in this journey because deep down our hearts are the same.

This book is particularly appropriate reading for me this week given that I am staying at the beach and celebrating my 46th birthday.  These two events have put my contemplative nature into overdrive.  I always wanted to be a woman who grows older with grace but I admit that lately I sometimes find myself wondering who that cheerful and slightly sagging chick in the mirror is.  Does she know that 50 is just around the corner?

I love watching and listening to the waves as they form and make their way to shore.  The tide, like the passing of time, is unstoppable... relentless.  Every day it flows in and it flows out, changing the landscape with each crash of a wave.  Life is just the same.  Things come crashing in, circumstances change and the best I can do is look for and appreciate the beauty that is before me right here and now because it, too, will be changed with the arrival of the next wave.

I haven't needed much "stuff" to keep me happy this week.  Even the one moderate suitcase I brought seems superfluous (although I really, really tried not to overpack).  The weight of unneccessary possessons is such a burden.  As I headed out to the beach my first day here I filled my backpack with so many things I thought I might need.  Did I really think I was going to read my book and work Sudoku puzzles?  Today I will probably walk out the door with just my hotel key.

Most of all, though, I have learned that I am ready.  By God's grace I believe I am ready for whatever the next year, the next season of my life brings. 

Tomorrow I head home.  This retreat has been great, but I look forward to infusing a bit of beach girl attitude into my everyday life.  I want to pursue my renewed desire to simplify and "lighten my load", to seek and appreciate the beauty that washes up on my little shore each day.

Little Things

“In the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” - Kahlil Gibran

Art flows from life.  If I want my art to be refreshing and encouraging, I must allow myself time to be refreshed and encouraged.  In order to create beautiful things, I first appreciate the beauty around me.


Today was one of those happy days when I was able to set my "to do" list aside and recharge.  It started with an impromptu coffee date with a friend, during which I purchased this too-cute and not-so-little flower pin with a vintage button center:

Wearing it made me so happy, especially after I added my favorite strand of pearls.  It was like wearing a badge announcing my light-hearted mood.  

Another little thing that made me happy was the yummy array of colors in these strands of glass beads found at a local resale shop. 

The sales lady offered me a great bargain on them.  The best part?  I assumed the price she quoted was per strand, only to find out at the register she meant it for the whole collection!  There is just nothing like the feeling of getting a great deal.

Finally, I tried something new for our evening meal that I'd like to share with you.  Along with some beautiful steamed vegetables and grilled beef, I made this Blueberry and Red Pepper Salsa:

Lovely food can do so much to heighten the senses and instill a feeling of well-being.  The recipe I tried tonight is based on one recently published in Southern Living magazine. I came across it while waiting at the optometrist's office, which explains why I can't tell you which issue it was in and why I had to guess at most of the quantities!  I'm sure the Southern Living version was great, but I bet it couldn't beat this one. 

Blueberries and red peppers...who knew?  I hope you'll try it!

Blueberry and Red Pepper Salsa

2 1/2 c fresh blueberries, chopped

1/2 c whole fresh blueberries

Juice of 1 lemon

4 T cilantro, finely chopped

1 lg. jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (more to taste)

3/4 c red bell pepper, diced

1/2 tsp sea salt

Toss all ingredients together and let sit 30 minutes to allow flavores to blend.

Serve with baked whole grain pita chips

All in all, it was not a momentous day.  No great problems were solved; no projects were completed, but the little things...the kindnesses, the discoveries, the precious moments...left me refreshed and renewed.  I can't wait to get back to work in the studio tomorrow!

Hidden Treasures

Rainer Maria Rilke
(1875-1926)

In his writings, the German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke promoted the importance of patience and acceptance in the thought-life of an artist. He encouraged aspiring writers with the famous words, "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to learn to love the questions themselves."
Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is a text to which I return again and again for inspiration and encouragement. Today I began compiling a selection of quotes from the first letter in this collection. Rilke's thoughts about looking to our current environment for inspiration led me to combine his words with photos taken in the woods beyond our house. It seemed a natural combination...I will post the finished project soon.
I am grateful for the reminder to appreciate the beauty that is right outside my back door - to search for loveliness in surprising places. The woods is an obvious treasure trove for such discoveries. Big city apartment buildings and arid deserts are no less stunning. I wonder what riches are waiting to be found in your environment today...

The portrait at top (c. 1907), by Paula Modersohn-Becker is a public domain image uploaded from http://commons.wikipedia.org/ {{PD-Art}}