New Obsessions

What a wonderful summer full of memories & lots of time with family, especially those grandkids!

They bring out the little girl inside of me who never really wanted to go away or grow up. It's funny how the years keep us too busy to notice what all we forget to do.

Today I have a new interest & obsession - designing & creating simple art dolls. That is the side of the 'little girl' who lives here.

Perhaps in the weeks ahead I will do some step by step instructions for those who might want to rediscover their own inner child & play with dolls again!

Happy August....

Finding Time

You just never know when another 'obsession' might occure for any of us who love to color, cut out & paste. It's not about age, it's not about inspiration, it's not about having enough time... it's about being able to hear whispers that not everyone can hear... it can happen anytime day or night.

You know the whisper? The one the colored pencil, or crayon, or marker makes when you are in the middle of doing something else and ignoring them... 'hey, see me? I'll bet you and I can have a really fun time if you will stop what you are doing and find a piece of paper." No matter how hard I try to ignore the temptation I am overcome and suddenly I have cards & cards & more cards of new girlfriends!

I love drawing eyes. Our grandchildren have BIG eyes - BIG BLUE eyes... I can't draw every person with blue eyes because my sweet, dear friends have brown, hazel, and colors in between sparkling in their eyes. So, girlfriends are showing up on card stock for greeting cards and fabric for postcards! Drawing body details escapes my talents - so I draw what I can and enjoy the process... eventually I do put away the colored pencils, crayons, markers & chalk...in a box that can sit near my evening escape to my recliner... eventually I return to the things in life that must be 'attended to'.

It's the little whispers in life that interrupt me to keep the child alive inside of me for a lifetime... coloring outside the lines is my favorite part of life - living outside the box makes me smile & forces me to find new direction & learn new things - little whispers push me beyond my comfort zone

I'm about to move beyond my comfort zone of nearly 30 years and return to a very different workforce than I've ever been involved in - I will learn new things, meet new people, accept intreguing assignments & form new friendships. Days will be more demanding & less flexible... my prayer is that I never stop listening to whispers & finding time to add color to my life... and for my grandchildren & time to embrace new friendships!

Planting Seeds

These weeks keep running by so fast - this is not a complaint, it is because they are filled with the speed of little ones running under my feet like in the days of raising my own - this time, it's grandchildren. ..
Yesterday I took them outdoors and we planted some seeds (from packets). I was overwhelmed when I saw the analogy ... here we were planting tiny seeds to watch them grow - here I stood watching the tiny hands of the children push seeds into the fresh dirt... reality of how quickly the seeds will blossom reminds me of how quickly the tiny, seeds in front of me, dressed as children, will grow and move on ... take time to embrace the 'seeds' in your life today - water them with tears if necessary - it's all a part of the passing of seasons... each one bringing fresh blossoms & radiant new beginnings! New life in any form is a reminder of how small we are and how little we actually control.... Carpe Diem!

HAVE FUN - ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Welcome Spring?

Pretty Postal Art is still in existence.... lots of postcards have been swapped internationally for almost a year. The group has grown and so has the talent. We recently did a card exchange in honor of Big Bird's Birthday which was March 20th. The farthest he has come to me so far has been Australia!

Do you know that he is called something different in other parts of the world? Just take a look:Brazil: Garibaldo *Mexico: Abelardo *China: Da Niao *Spain: at first Caponata * / but now Paco PicoPortugal: Poupas *France: Toccata *German: BiboThe Netherlands: neef Jan

There are actually 17 different versions of this big, lovable creation!

The yellow postcards have been a hit with the local postal clerks. I have a wonderful team of postal clerks where I live & mail. That's not the case for other 'swappers'... there are some grouchy folks out there who just have a challege with others who have fun & smile a lot! Especially if they have a little bit of authority! We better not go there -

I DO love having a blog although I have to admit, I forget to do anything with it. Obviously, the mind has not wandered to this page since January! I'll try to do a bit better but no big promises as this is a stress free endeavor (and believe me, I have plenty of stress other places so don't send me any).

Today at 5:30 a.m. there was an earthquake in Indiana, 5.2 whatever that means in terms of severity... 7 or 8 aftershocks so far - hard to believe! I slept right through it. I'm disappointed. I would have at least liked to be able to talk about my experience but I'm afraid I would have to make up stories based on the local news.... it's easy to memorize the process as they have all repeated the EXACT words for the event - over & over & over & over... wouldn't it be nice if the news teams around the world would find some really positive, encouraging, fun, interesting news and repeat it over & over & over? How about giving the same exaggerrated energy to all the wonderful events on our local, national & international homefronts that they give to the thugs & low life - to be in the news you either have to go to Hollywood & do something totally stupid & irresponsible or be a thief, pervert or gangster! Too bad that someone isn't brave enough to change the profile of reporting.... sounds like a good assignement, eh?

Rambling is work so I'll keep this a short entry - lots to do as I am spring cleaning - throwing out 'stuff'.... enjoying seeing open space on shelves and empty drawers - something theraputic in all of this.

Happy Spring to all - I hope blessings are blooming everywhere you go & if by chance they are not - YOU plant the first one!

Separating the Necessary from the Urgent

This weekend we have spent time with dear friends of nearly 30 years.

One of those friends said goodbye to his mother for the last time on Wednesday. The once strong, energetic, productive woman who had spent her years on a farm was now at peace with the world.

I listened to conversations and watched as each person came by her to make their final statements about her impact on their life and on the lives of their children and grandchildren. She had time for a lot of generations. She used her sewing machine to the max as many testified of the clothing, quilts & crafts she had blessed them with through the years. She planted & harvested, cooked & canned, fed the multitude. She lived long enough to recognize and practice the necessary above the urgent and know the difference.

I wonder what would happen this day if each of us took 30 minutes to do something necessary instead of urgent. Would we recognize the difference? I think that the necessary takes practice & discipline above the urgent.

My parents are gone, there were words left unsaid on both sides. There was a lifetime of love mixed with a lifetime of trying to figure each other out. A lifetime of memories, a lifetime of learning & growing. 50 years? 60 years? 70 years? 80........ whatever time they had then or we now is still only a fleeting moment.

Today I am taking at least 30 minutes to really analyze the difference in the necessary & the urgent and try to separate them. I am scheduling a time to write to those I care about, call someone who is alone, give away some things I've been holding on to. Today I am taking time to embrace those I love... yes, we do have to schedule the necessary.

The urgent is disrespectful and will get as much time as possible.

Today I will reflect on what I might say to encourage someone right here, right now instead of saving the whole flowery speech for a quiet, hurting gathering at a funeral home.

Today I will celebrate life as deeply as I have mourned death. Freida understood the purpose & place for the old rugged cross - Today I will be thankful for her life and her lessons taught in her quiet, thoughtful, productive life. Today I will take time to appreciate the old rugged cross and the promises made there – today I will begin practicing recognizing, respecting & responding to the necessary, above the urgent.