Christian Art Chat- Home of PeaceJoyLove Store

Creative inspiration comes in a lot of ways… For me, my inspiration comes from the people around me most of the time.

My two newest tiles were inspired by two ladies I work with.

Linda… is one of those people who everyone loves. She is always the first one there when someone is sick, or troubled, or in pain. She takes the time to get to know each and every one in the office. She knows if they are married, how many kids they have, what their problems are and what their joys are. Recently, she had to have surgery on her hand and it was beautiful how many people took her food, worried about her, and went to see her. It is just proof that the little things we do in life have so much impact and often we never know it. I am glad she got the chance to see how many people she has touched with her kindness and I hope that she was touched by them.

Denise… She was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the courage and strength AND grace she has shown has been remarkable. I can only hope that if I am ever faced with something so tough… I will have half the courage and positive energy that she has shown. I truly do believe that whatever energy your spirit sends out

… your body will be listening.

  Sometimes people are not born into families…

When my husband and I got married, he got a ready made family, I had a daughter already by a previous marriage and right before we got married my daughter had a daughter. He married me and instantly became a dad and a grandpa.

Over the years he has blended completely into our family and this summer my granddaughter is visiting from Alabama. This weekend completely and totally set in concrete his place as grandpa…

He spent his Saturday going with us from pet shop to pet shop finding the perfect Hamster and the perfect cage. We visited Walmart, Kmart and three other pet stores.  He spent Saturday afternoon putting together an “easy to assemble” Hamster cage. He spent Saturday evening in sweltering heat at a Drive-in with three girls, who were extremely uninterested in the movie, extremely hungry and thirsty, extremely hot and sweaty, and then finally extremely sleepy and grumpy. He spent Saturday night looking for a missing Hamster under every piece of furniture and in every dark corner.. (of course the Hamster escaped that had to happen). We finally found the Hamster early on Monday morning after he put food out and assured the granddaughter “the hamster will get hungry.” At 6 am on Monday, he was scurrying around in his underwear chasing the furry creature, then putting extra shavings in the cage (so she could burrow), and securing the cage door…. What a weekend!!!

All the while smiling and being the calm in the storm.

At the end of this weekend.. I loved him more than I ever have and feel soooo lucky to have made the choice to bring him into my life.

To Instant Grandpa’s everywhere… hope you have a wonderful Father’s day.

“Your calling is where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need”

We had a fantastic guest speaker at our church for revival and I wish with all my heart I could remember his name… I will come back and add it later. He made this statement in one of his sermons and it hit me right where I am.

I realized that I have many talents, but not all of them are my calling.

When I spent some time with God and opened my heart,  I realized that when we find that one thing that makes us forget the time, and lose ourselves, and makes our heart sing..  there is a direct and indisputable link (if you look in faith) between that one thing and something the world is in wrenching, desperate need of.

And I believe this is true with everyone,  100% of the time.

Did you ever wonder if some people are just “born angels”… I do and I have some of those sweet spirits in my life.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer this year and it has been amazing how many angels have come across our path during this tough time….

However, there are two that I think were born angels.

I have a niece and nephew who seem to have possessed that sweet spirit since birth.

I can remember Reese (niece) when she was about 4… She had Asthma from an early age and made frequent visits to the ER. I remember on one of those frantic drives with her struggling to breathe… She looked at me with those huge beautiful brown eyes and said “I just wish mommy wasn’t crying”….

When I brought my “Chocolate” husband home to southern Alabama she never blinked… I loved him, so she loved him.

She has always had that way about her that just reached right through to your heart and she still does. She is in the midst of college with health problems of her own but she has been there for her grandma 100%,  giving all she can,  as born angels do.

My nephew (Derek) calls or comes by every single day, takes his turn taking mom to her treatments, and when he smiles… oh my goodness,,, there is a pure sweetness that just shines right through.

Now that I think about it,, maybe these two sweet spirits had the unbelievable luck to be born to a “born angel”… Who was born to a “born angel”.. hmmm now I’m getting too deep right?

I found this article in Woman’s Day and it blew me away.

Wabi Sabi is an old Japanese philosophy that sees much beauty in the imperfection of everything. The artists that practice Wabi Sabi leave a crack in each vase, or an imperfection in each artwork to express their belief that imperfection and impermanence are to be embraced.

In practical application,

That old beat up floor… Wabi Sabi would say… “What a beautiful Wabi Sabi floor,, it is full of character and imperfect perfection that does not require “fixing” or worrying about.

That old sweatshirt your husband won’t throw away…. Wabi Sabi would say… “What a Wabi Sabi companion I have, his affection for this Wabi Sabi shirt is a reflection of his belief that old does not mean useless..

Get it?

I did and I love it!!!!

I have two stories today that are 100% true and illustrate that God can always surprise you with who, how, and when he communicates.

The Bible

Today I got a Bible from my friend and co-worker Wendy. We had talked about Bible’s yesterday and I said I really needed a new one….one that had big print since I am getting old and can’t see as well as I used to!

The Bible, of course, was already at the local Goodwill store waiting on her to find it for me. She brought it to me the next day complete with a note in the back from the previous owner quoting scripture that spoke directly to my heart AND a sweet little pocket card that was inside and looked to be a gift to a wife from a husband with a poem expressing the blessing of others in our lives… How can that not be from God?

The Dream

My friend Lorie, who lost her son Stephen, had a dream. In the dream she knew Stephen had passed away and yet she met him on the road riding bikes with a new friend. She asked him who the new friend was, and as teenagers are known to do, Stephen rolled his eyes and said “Mom, I met him in heaven”… one look said “Mom don’t worry, he must be ok since I met him in heaven”….. She was able to talk with him and give him a hug before she left the dream, and felt a real sense of closure as if she finally knew he was ok and that she had been able to say goodbye. Again, how can this not be from God?

AND God must have a sense of humor. What mom has not seen that look from their teenager that says “oh Mom you are soooo silly.”

Personal Insults, Racial Slurs, Physical Threats.

Does that sound like Christian behavior? That is what is going on right now with the passing of the Health Care Reform Bill.

How can we profess to be Christians and do these kinds of things?

What is the difference between this behavior and what the radical muslims did on 9/11? Actions in the name of religion or beliefs that cause harm to others.

As Christians, no matter what our opinion is on any issue, we must be a shining example to the rest of the world on Christian Behavior. Not only should we not participate in this sad behavior, we should correct and admonish those who do.

This is not a political statement. It is a statement from one Christian to other Christians. Do not tarnish the image of Christianity by your actions.

God can see you and so can the rest of the world.

Most of us Christian’s believe in free will, great idea right, God gives us all the rules, the commands, the philosophies to live by and then leaves it up to us to make the right choices…

Being the imperfect human beings that we are, we don’t always make the right ones, and some of us keep making the wrong ones over and over again.

The funny thing about free will is that God does not protect us from the consequences of our acting on free will.

If we cheat on our income tax, God will let us go to jail.

If we speed, God will let us get a ticket or crash.

If we drink and drive, God will let us hit a tree or worse yet, another car.

The blessing of free will is, that if we choose to do the right thing, it is a free choice and there is so much joy in doing something because you trust in God’s wisdom and because you want to do what is right.

The curse of free will is, that we are free to choose but we are not then rescued from our poor choices. Are we still saved, yes but only from hell, not from the results of what we choose here on this earth.

No it’s not a typo. I mean “Aunt” not Ant….

In looking back on my childhood, I had two aunts that were a little crazy in a good way. By that I mean, they could always make me laugh, still do. They could always surprise me, still do. They could always put me in my place, still do. And most of all they could always make me feel special, still do.

When I look back on the hard times I had growing up. I remember them. I remember summers in their “normal” houses with warm beds and great food and laughter and closeness. They weren’t perfect.. but they were oh so close for a little girl who had so much “no where near perfect” in her life.

They loved me. It was that simple.

I was important to them. It was that easy.

Aunt Dot and Aunt Pat made me feel safe at a time in my life when safety was more than enough. Still to this day, when I am in their presence, there is a warm sense of security that overtakes me that I can’t find with anyone else on earth.

 Don’t underestimate the power of the mighty Aunt. 

Ok here it is, the truth about getting older:

In some ways it stinks, and in some ways it’s beautiful. Now wasn’t that simple.

I find myself less tense about the petty stuff, but more worried about the brevity of the rest of my days. I find myself more sure about who I am and my gifts, but less sure about why in world I am still struggling to use my talents successfully. I find it easier to forgive most things, but harder to tolerate laziness and lack of motivation. I have more appreciation for life, but less physical strength to enjoy it fully. I find myself afraid of living less often, but afraid of dying more often. I am more responsible for my actions, but less certain why.  I talk to God more. I worry for my child more, because I know with a certainty that I won’t always be here. I love my mom and respect what she has been, and done, more than ever in my life, but I worry that my child may not feel the same way when the time comes. I see my mistakes more clearly, but realize there is absolutely nothing I can do about them. I have more physical pain, but I have less mental pain. I no longer care if I gain 5 pounds, but I do care about my cholesterol and blood sugar and blood pressure and my lumpy boobies.  I love my sisters and brothers more, but am sad that I can’t see them more often. I smile at sunsets and full moons and spring flowers. I cry at the same things. I am at the same time unimaginably glad to have been here and inexplicably sad to think of leaving before I have done all I wanted to do.

Oh my gosh… life is so strange. It’s kind of like a Rubik’s cube,, you can’t ever seem to get all the colors lined up at the same time.