"Knowing"

"Knowing"

36 x 36" oil on museum quality panel, framed

$3500

Eyes. From a place far beyond where I can see, comes an asking.
Do I matter?
It is the only question that really matters. Peeling back layers, I realize that all the doing in life is our way of prying and prodding to hopefully illicit the words we so long to hear.

Yes, you matter.
Your life is important, has meaning, matters. That is it and all of it.

Detail 1 (Joy and Love scripted in amongst the roses!)

Detail 2 (The writing from above written into the painting once again served to remind me what it's all about.)

                                       In progress in my studio--Eddie napping in office next door...

The papers taped to the glass door in the photo above became my guide--hammered out late one night, I read them many times throughout the time spent in my studio.  You can click here to read what was on them.

Please Note:  This painting is waiting for the right person to connect with it.  You know who you are...:))  As with all of the available works from this collection, "Knowing" comes framed and  shipping is free in the continental US through December 31, 2010.  To those of you who have been wanting to own a larger painting of mine, I want to make it possible--so all of these pieces are also available with flex payment.  You can pay all at once, via the paypal button below, or email me here  to spread it out to 3 pays/3 months. 

Gratitude Mission
#30Thanks Day 30--The Last Day!
I never knew when I started this 30 days ago, how much joy it would bring me.  I have found myself looking forward to the next missive, the sense of adventure of what can I examine closely today that I am thankful for.   Funny too how life has that "boomerang" effect built into every move we make.  I have had so much good coming my way via words of love that my heart has done filled up and spilled over..:)))  Thank you for coming along with me for this gratitude mission and thanks to Marissa Bracke who started it all.  It has made for an extra special, extraordinary month.  Even Eddie is in a more benevolent frame of mind.  He borrowed my credit card to go Christmas shopping for me.  Okay, I am grateful---not crazy---but it was fun to go along with him  ( like I didn't know he is cruising the Pet, Bath and Beyond store for himself.) 

For you, it's not about the doing....it's about the listening.
When you listen, you know what to do.
When you know what to do....the rest comes easy.
You are, without a doubt,  amazing ...

I love the words to this song....Big Hugs and Have a Beautiful Day~  Click Here

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"Venice, a Love Shared" SOLD

"Venice, a Love Shared"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Ever notice how easy it is to share the things we love?  A favorite food, a good book, a new CD.  In fact, in our love of it, we are most anxious to press it on those around us, certain that as much pleasure it has brought  us it will surely do that and more for another.  Well, it strikes me that is how Venice is.  It is a place to be loved and shared.  An amazing place that "walks on water", defying everything that makes sense for how a city is supposed to be.  And it's this very oddity that makes it so sweet.  Gondolas that glide silently 'tween marvelous walls that make us catch our breath.  Venice, a place to be shared, just for the love of it.

Gratitude Mission

#30Thanks Day 29  

Today I am thankful for something that may seem a bit silly.  My phone..:))  My little purple phone that I carry with me, stuffed in my purse, laid on the dash of my car, slipped in a pocket while painting.  It's so small, can be annoying at times, and costs me money.  But...and this is a big  BUT...it allows me to hear my daughter's sweet voice like she was standing in the next room, almost everyday, and she lives 2500 miles away.! It allowed me talk to my sister while she lived in Germany for 8 years and now keeps my in touch with my friend Bill who lives in Berlin.  I can talk to Ginger in Shanghai and do a radio show with Leslie in California (and we both did one from two different islands in Hawaii this past September!).  It even helps to catch Eddie when he is acting silly ......

  It sends me sweet notes from my hubby at the most unexpected times...:))   It lets me connect with friends who live both near and far away and make plans to see each other.  In a word, it doesn't make me wait.  I can scarcely imagine if I could only talk to my girl the few times a year that she either flies home or I fly out to see her.  I would be one sad momma!  So today I am practicing active gratitude for my little phone and all the beautiful people in my life that I can reach out and "touch" any ole time I want!!

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"Surrender"

"Surrender"

36 x 36" oil on museum quality panel, framed

$3500

Dropping of all pretense, a letting go, a giving up of the need to control.  Surrender grows out of trust.  As a child surrenders to sleep in the arms of its mother, I choose to surrender to life.  I choose peace.  I choose joy.   I choose love. 

 I surrender.

These are the words scripted onto the canvas before I began the painting.  It served to keep me focused on the things that are most important in life..:)

Detail 1 (Joy, Peace, and Surrender are scripted in gold and hid in the petals and foliage--do you see them peeking out?)

Detail 2 (A little Love is showing in the upper right corner of this detail..;)

A Sense of Scale in the Studio provided by the Still Life and Not So Still Life (Eddie)

I loved painting this.  Eddie loved hanging out with me while it was being painted (note large furry cat under spotlight....)  It belongs to someone---just not sure who yet..could it be you?:))  
 "Surrender" comes framed, with free shipping in the continental US until December 31, 2010.  And best of all, available with flex payment.  You know if it's meant to be yours.  You can pay all at once, via the paypal button below, or email me to spread it out to 3 pays over 3 months. 

Note:  All available paintings from the "Let There Be Love..." Collection are included in this offer of free shipping and flex pay 'til December 31, 2010.  Click Here to See the Entire Collection

Gratitude Mission

#30Thanks Day 28--Gratitude Sundae (All the great things from this week to be Thankful for, piled up with a cherry on top!)

Thankful that Tracey Mardon shared this link with me (click here).  Thankful for a warm home, homemade pumpkin pie with LOTS of whip creme, and a shared radio show of Thanksgiving with my best bud, Leslie Saeta. Thankful that I didn't go shopping Friday or Saturday and that I did have a great family Thanksgiving dinner  and didn't catch the kitchen on fire (cooking not my strong point..:) Talked with one brother, two sisters and one mom--all in the same week--and made plans for Christmas!  Thankful for quiet time, books

to read, awesome health, a studio to paint in, giant tubes of paint--(in TONS of colors), lots of wonderful letters, new ideas, a sense of adventure for my life and long conversations with my girl Desiree (Eddie's human sister).  Thankful, most of all, for the Love that surrounds us always.  That's the very best of all.

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"Rose Steps of Italy" SOLD

"Rose Steps of Italy"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

A good set of stairs to sit and write the story of your life.  Surrounded by roses and a glass of ice tea nearby, start with how you came to be in Italy!

Gratitude Mission

#30Thanks Day 27 --Thanks for belief, for hope--it makes all the difference.

When the world seems flat, don't believe it.  Just because the roundness can't be seen from where you stand....it doesn't  mean a thing.  Absence of belief in its roundness does not make it flat..:))  A few years back there were two schools of thought on just that very thing.  The world did not flatten because some believed it to be so.  It stayed, fully shaped, waiting....for someone like you, with lots of hope, to set sail towards their dreams with vision, with faith, and with hope.  Anything is possible when we believe. 

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"Life as I Find It"



"Salty Coconut Breezes"

(sporting its new "floater" frame)

I share life as I find it.  And I find life an amazing adventure.  After many years of uncertainty, second guessing, waiting--I now find a certain peace, a knowing that supports me in being just simply...me.  I embrace each painting that comes from me.  They pour out and I welcome them as they come.  I delight in them as though they belonged to someone else.  With fresh eyes I can see the wonder and joy in them.  I no longer look for perfection.  Perfect, defined in my past, was a painful place to live.  A careful masking by doing what had been done before, knowing that at least if I did that, both I and my painting might achieve a degree of acceptability.

"You need not ask what others have done or how they have done it.  Be yourself and express life as you find it.  Never imitate.  Trust the self.  Find the self in God and God in the self."

                                                                                                                                            ~E. Holmes

Gratitude Mission/Gratitude Sundae--a weekly dish of things I appreciate with a cherry on top!

#30Thanks Day 21

Turquoise waters that dazzle the eye.  Windows that let in lots of light and open to bring the outdoors in.  Fresh flowers--anywhere, anytime! Wonderful letters in my "inbox".   People in my life that are as excited as I am when good things come my way..:)) A daughter who is fixing two Thanksgiving dinners with the help of her best friend, Jackie...one to have for friends, and one to distribute to the homeless folk in her area.  Lunch shared with my good friend Cate.  Leggings that s-t-r-e-t-c-h after said meal..:)) And the anticipation of time shared with family this coming week.  Have a beautiful Thanksgiving! 

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"The Great Escape" SOLD

"The Great Escape"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

On Hold

While others were out running the roads and  working like dogs, I spent the day at the beach.  You don't have to hate me-- Eddie was there (which makes us even, no matter what you did today).  He spent a fair portion of the morning complaining about the fact that there are  dog beaches but no cat beaches and that the whole place looked like a litter box anyway. Pointing out the fact that when you're a cat, every beach looks like a litter box seemed pointless.  Besides, I had bigger things to worry about--Eddie wore Speedos.  With a large gold chain 'round his neck.  Like I said, no matter how you spent your day---I think we're even.

Gratitude Mission, Day 19: Thank a trailblazer

#30Thanks Day 19

I don't think trailblazer's think of themselves as that.  I think they see the world differently and it never occurs to them to do anything other than what they do and how they do it.  They do things that seem illogical, unsafe, and most of all--oft times untested.  And it seems as normal to them to lead their life this way as it is for others to take the well worn, time tested, safe path.  The beauty of the trailblazer is they do leave a path for others to follow--or if not to follow at least be inspired by! 

I personally would like to take a moment and  thank those trailblazers who took a chance, a few years back, on the world being round.  Without them, my life would be a lot different.  And crowded, I suspect. 

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"A Brush with France" SOLD

"A Brush with France"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Thoughtful brushstrokes, bits of color, stack up like real life.  Choose the things, one by one, that 

make your life a thing of joy to behold...:))


Please Note:  The entire amount from the sale of this painting will go to the "Artwalk for Annie" .  Artist and mother of 4, Annie Salness suffered a stroke mid October. Fellow artists, friends, and just good people (that's you!) are doing what they can to help offset the medical expenses for Annie and her family.   To learn more ways you can help, click here.


Gratitude Mission, Day 17: Thank someone who encourages you

#30Thanks  Day 17

Words are magical.  There is always someone behind them.  Words spoken from the heart, unfiltered and unpostured, absent of agenda...and best of all...outsourced from love--this is that someone that encourages me.  They may be words penned years ago, or words just arriving by mail today.  The common thread is the truth contained within them.  Words, whether written or spoken, have such tremendous power to inspire and encourage.  I am thankful for all the good words that have come to me in my lifetime by too many people to begin singling them out here.  As always, you know who you are.  You are the someone who ushers in encouragement with your very presence.  Thank you. This post was meant for you. 

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"Mur Français de Jardin" (French Garden Wall) SOLD

 "Mur Français de Jardin" (French Garden Wall)

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

One hand on cool, damp stone, the other gently easing the door open to allow you access to the garden.  The timeless quiet that envelopes your senses eases away the tension.  All that exists in this moment is the scent of musty earth, velvety softness of rose petals and the hum of life that says..

it's gonna be alright. 

Thank a Caregiver

#30Thanks Day 16

I have always envied those people who knew what they wanted to be from a young age.  That sense of destiny and purpose that never has them wondering if they picked the right path.  I was seven at the time and I can still remember the family drama that ensued when my sister announced she wanted to become a nurse.  She was the first born of our family and  my Dad would not hear of her taking a job whose duties included "carrying bed pans"!  Well, if there was one person more determined than Dad it was my sister Vicki.  Barely five feet tall, what she lacked in height she made up for in cuteness and the ability to "talk back" and in the late summer of '67 she headed out for--you guessed it--nursing school.  Vicki retired last year from 40 years of nursing.  I was always and still am proud of the kind of nurse she was.  When working in the pediatrics ward, she would buy clothes out of her then meagre student nursing money for the less fortunate babies.  She was the nurse who would slip out an extra blanket to a family member slumped over a chair on a night vigil with their loved one.  She carried worries home with her--sad over young adults diagnosed with brain cancer, taking extra time with elderly couples when one was slipping away while the other helplessly watched.  In the latter years of her nursing she gave hope and encouragement, dispensed out like miracle medicine, by working with pulmonary and cardiac rehab patients (those recovering from heart attacks, lung ailments, trying to get back their life and afraid it might never come).  She has attended funerals, sent cards, and just simply been the kind of nurse everyone hopes to have when its needed.  We lost our Dad two years ago this past September.  He was a non-smoker, but ended up with of all things, a lung ailment.  Vicki's specialty had been working with pulmonary (lung) patients.  Guess who Dad wanted most by his side?  Funny how life works.  Thanks dear sister of mine for being a caregiver extraordinaire all these years.  You have made me proud so many more times than you will ever know. You are, without a doubt, simply AMAZING!!

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"It's Okay to Call Myself an Artist...and Other Newsworthy Items"

"You're the best!  I have taken other workshops from other teachers but have learned the most from you---learned not to be afraid to try something I wouldn't have tried before."

"Warm, fuzzy feeling during workshop"

"...it's okay to call myself an artist"

"Not holding back--giving all you know generously"

Comments overheard during this workshop, but below, probably the best....

"If Ann can walk and I can see, we're heading to Atlanta for Dreama's workshop."

And now you know why I love to do this..:))!

16 paintings in 40 minutes...not counting the dance moves in between.

Painting is JOY!

                                                             Getting in the mix of things!

Phyllis the mouse did make a debut appearance at the Lexington, KY workshop and was quite the celeb.  Eddie, of course, is holding out for bigger venues and more money.  And a private dressing room.  It's Ed, what else did you expect?

Gratitude Sundae: all the good stuff I’m grateful for, with whipped cream & a cherry on top

Gratitude Sundae--Day 14 of #30Thanks

Grateful for Ugg knockoff boots that keep my feetie's sooo warm.  Big bathtubs with loads of hot water and bubbles.  Friends who paint silly paintings of a mouse named Phyllis (see below).  Hugs from people the very first time I meet them.  Sincere thanks.  Modern Family episodes to make me laugh.  New music, which at the moment is Elton John and Leon Russell's collaboration.  Sisters who are always there when I need them.  All the love I feel at my workshops.  Late night bowls of cereal laced with bananas and strawberries fixed by my guy.  Inspiring books.  So many amazing friends.  A slice of homemade lemon pound cake.  Heated seats.  Bold coffee with lots of real cream and sugar.  Good eyes to behold the beauty in each day. The ring tone that says my girl is calling.  Hope.  New brushes.  Quietness.  
For this and so, so much more I am grateful.

By Artist Anna Daniel Hall (See previous post)

Ann painted this today at the workshop.  Notice mouse door to right of jar.  Possible names for the painting??
"The Dilemma"
"It Looked Smaller at the Store"
"Now What?"

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"Workshop News!"

"Hope"

12 x 12in oil on museum quality panel

Sold

Words are sometime so limiting.  Well into the Lexington workshop, I contemplate the past two days on my drive home.  Each group is so special.  Each person so unique, so individual and so very much a gift.  How did I ever come to get to do something so wonderful?  To meet with people at the place where they are allowing themselves to dream, to expand, to share themselves through color and brush.  I must indeed be the luckiest girl on the planet..:)))  Here they are, all 16 of them, with grins as big as their hearts!

Ann G, Barbara, Ann P, Me, Kay, Karen,Terri, Rosemary, Karen, David, Elaine, Becky, Betty, Tricia, Anne H, Pam, & Pris.

And here is some of the art they have come up with these past two days!

Thank the Last Person That Made You Smile

#30Thanks Day 13

I was so excited when I realized this was the last person who made me smile--now I finally have a good excuse to talk about her!  Have you ever known someone that you wish everyone could know?  Someone who is consistently so generous, open-hearted, and loving that you feel the need to make sure others realize it it? I go back more than a few years with this person and from the very first time I met her, she was trying to give me art supplies out of the back of her vehicle.  She always carries so much stuff with her I am convinced I could live out of her car for awhile and pretty much have everything I need!  She treats everyone the same--like they are the most important person on the planet.  I have seen her go totally out of her way to help absolute strangers---but now that I write this, I am not so sure she has ever met a stranger.  Just today, as I was leaving the workshop, she asks me if I have any of the stickers that pay for my day's parking at the garage, which I didn't.  "Well, just follow me to the car 'cause I have some you can use."  I knew better than to say no, like I said, we go waaaaay back!  So I dutifully followed her to her car for the sticker.  Saved me eight bucks on parking, but you know the best part??  It means she was the last person I saw today that smiled at me.  My dear friend, Anna Daniel Hall.   She has  always, always, been a joy in my life from the very first day I met her.  She serves as an example to me of what love in action looks like.  Year in, year out.  Beautiful both inside and out.  Thank you Ann for gracing my life!

Anna Daniel Hall



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"Peace"

"Peace"

20 x 24in oil on museum quality panel

$1865 , framed

Short on words, big on the peace I feel in my heart.  Grateful for all the good I am surrounded by.  Gentleness is your word for today.  Be gentle with yourself.  No judgement or criticism.  You are a priceless treasure....act accordingly..:)))

Gratitude Mission, Day 11: Thank a guardian

#30Thanks  Day 11

Sometime after Christmas, while I am taking down my tree and contemplating my adventures for the new year,  David Beaman will be saying good-bye to Rhonda and Alivia.  For an entire year--winter, 4th of July, family vacations, school starting, Thanksgiving a year out...all the way 'til another Christmas has come and gone!  Alivia is eight years old and will take it very hard.  She doesn't get it --why he leaves.  Rhonda will once again have the sole responsibility of care for Alivia, who is autistic, and will be on her own---yet again, in another new town.  While I am tucked safely into my warm home, my biggest decision for the day being what to paint, David will be living in a tent in a inhospitable environment.  When I go out to eat with my husband and settle in at night to watch a favorite TV show, David will fall asleep exhausted from the day's activities, burnt by the winds and sand,  and Rhonda will set alone in front of the TV with no one to share the day's events with.  This story is played out in many lives, everyday.  But this story is personal.  David is my brother-in-law.  Rhonda, my sister, and Alivia, my great-niece.  They are my family.  They are a military family.  Lt. Major David Beaman, 17 years in military service, is returning for a third tour of duty to the middle east (Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Afghanistan again).  David takes his responsibilities to heart.  He is a man you would be proud to know, love, and call friend.  He works hard every day, often going on minimal sleep, so that I can tuck into my warm house at night and be safe.  Thanks for that  seem woefully inadequate.  He has given 17 years of his life so that I can have a regular life and focus on the joyful, beautiful things , without fear.  For Major Lieutenant David Beaman and all who serve in our military, a heartfelt thank you.  You are loved.

" This is Alivia saying goodbye to David for his second deployment to Iraq. We had to get her up in the middle of the night as he left in the wee hours of the morning. He leaves for his third deployment this winter. If you are glad it is not you, but grateful some are doing this tough job, thank a soldier!"
~Rhonda Beaman

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"Eddie and Phyllis on the Best Seller List???"

Well, things have just gone to a bad stage of worse.  Or worse stage of bad.  Sculptor Steve Worthington's long awaited book, The Mouse Project, has "hit the stands", in a manner of speaking, and Eddie's already over inflated opinion of himself has gone through the roof.  Worse yet, his fan base is growing, as witnessed by the gathering of Phyllis wannabees below....

The only good thing about this is that the profits from the sale of this book will go to animal shelters.  Eddie has spent the entire evening practicing his signature, complaining that he what he really needs is a Mont Blanc pen.  Phyllis has been giggling with excitement at the prospect that her and Eddie will be doing a "book tour" (this is according to Eddie of course), staying in posh hotels and ending up with an appearance on Oprah.  He's had Phyllis drawing up a contract of sorts, detailing goldfish crackers and tuna flavored jelly beans to be in his dressing room.

On a personal note:  This collaboration has spawned not only a series of paintings of Eddie and Phyllis (8 and growing!) but has brought 22 artists together in a joint effort to help make life better for our fur bearing buddies.  With the holidays just around the corner, this book makes a perfect gift for the animal lover in your circle.
22 artists, 3 bronze mice. 
In their still life paintings 22 artists feature Steve Worthington's bronze mice, for a book to benefit animal shelters. 
Click here to learn more. 
Click to here to purchase. 


There is currently one painting of the Eddie and Phyllis series available. Click here to see it!

Gratitude Mission, Day 9: Thank an admin

#30Thanks Day 9

Can I just say how much I am lovin' doin' this??  You can still join me in this 30 days of gratitude by going to http://www.marissabracke.com/ -- you will be amazed at how good it will make you feel..:))

Today's mission is to thank an administrator.  The one I have in mind is a a behind the scenes guy.  Literally.  I have never seen him!  But his efforts impact me every day.  Choices he made 5 years ago now expand me and my work to a new audience on a daily basis.  He does such an awesome job.  He is an idea man, an innovator, pays attention to detail, quick in response, and has created an online world for artists to grow, sell, and share what they do.  He is the genius behind Daily Painters--an online site for ...well, daily painters!  His name is Micah Condon, and thanks to him

Micah Condon
DailyPainters.com

165 artists, both national and international,  are part of the Daily Painters Gallery-- the oldest, largest and most diverse gallery of its kind.  Thank you Micah for doing what you do so well, with passion and with heart!  You have single-handedly made a difference in the lives of so many.

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"Salty Coconut Breezes" SOLD

"Salty Coconut Breezes"

12 x 6" oil on museum quality panel

$350

Sandwiched between life that will only  get more full as we move into the holidays, I felt it the perfect time to take a moment and head for turquoise water, hot sun, and the scent of coconut  lotion wafting in on every salty breeze.  You're welcome to join me.

Only one warning.  Don't get too far out in the water.
My experience has been.....those good lookin' life guards don't seem to move quite as fast to  rescue us older ones.
Just sayin'.

Gratitude Mission, Day 7: Share your gratitude in today’s gratitude free-for-all

#30Thanks Day 7

As you may (or not) have noticed, I missed a day.  Life happens:)  what's a girl to do??

Gratitude Mission, Day 8: Thank someone who inspires you

#30Thanks Day 8

Once again, I am stumped to narrow down who inspires me to just one person.  So I am not going too--the older I get the less I play by the rules..:))! 

I have a friend who left a comfortable retirement  and a beautiful home in the coastal town of La Jolla CA  .....and has moved to China to open a business structured to help young couples get a start in having their own business!  She continually inspires me to dream bigger and to see my life as one that is "always rising, never setting is the sun of your destiny".  Thank you Ginger!



Ginger



Ron (and me)

Ron Browning is someone I rarely see or talk too.  Yet he inspires me with his life on an almost daily basis (okay, I am on Facebook so I see a lot of what he is up too!)  There are many things I could tell you about Ron that would perhaps impress you, credentials wise.  The thing that is most outstanding about Ron though is this--his amazing capacity for love.  He has the ability to make you feel like the singular, most special person on the planet.  His whole face lights up with love when you see him.  And he makes everyone whose life he touches feel that way.  Thank you Ron...you personify love!

I have a new friend who always has perfect timing.  He inspires me with his vision to live life to the max.  He recently completed study with the only person still teaching. to have been certified by Joseph Pilates (yep, the guy that started it all!)  At the most critical times, I will open my email to find great words that are just what I need to hear.  And penned by him , of course.  Thank you Rob...you inspire me to live my highest best:))!

Rob

I could probably make a post a day for a long time, and fill it with people in my life who light me up, help me to refocus on the right things, make me know that I am loved, and on and on---I will, instead, finish this with the one gal that I have met in perhaps the most unusual way but who has impacted my life so much this past year.  Leslie Saeta.  We met online via our blogging (her boys tease and say it was through the couples site,  EHarmony.com...not true!:)  Leslie took the initiative to call me first, after months of emails.  I realize now, that kind of action is not unusual for her.  She is kind hearted, genuinely cares about people and likes to help.  I tease her pretty mercilessly on our internet radio show--but the truth is, she has helped make these past 18 months since we first talked, remarkable in so many ways.  She inspires me to help others more, to expect great things, to "think outside my darn box"!  She is, in a word, good for me.

Leslie, Palette Knife Painter and Friend Extraordinaire!

 Thank you Leslie...for a priceless friendship...YOU INSPIRE ME!!

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"Harmony" SOLD

"Harmony"

12 x 12 on museum quality panel, framed
From the Let There Be Love... Collection

$760

Tonight I set my clock back one hour,  which got me to thinking.

  

 What is time?  Measured off.  Does it have anything, really, to do with Life? 

 We mark it so carefully.  Be mindful of this .  Careful of that. 

 It seems to me the most beautiful, eloquent of paintings, words, songs, music, magical quiet times, arise out of no time. 

We "lose track". 

We cannot measure the immeasurable. 

What are the last moments spent with a loved one--is there a measure for that? 

 The time it takes to run you hand down the length of a cat from its head to its tip of a tale...is there a measure for that? 

The brilliance of sun on white foamy beach waves while rising

....our measurements seem foolish, pointless. 

We best measure our life by these moments. 

Not by calendars and clocks, minutes and hours. 

What is a life but immeasurable moments of beauty that take our breath away---back to back. 

And the final breath it takes, carries us to the beyond bliss that is only hinted at

for now.

Gratitude Mission, Day 6: Say thanks for (or put some) fun in the mail

#30Thanks  Day 6:  Who most recently sent you something fun in the mail? 

Getting something in the mail other than "junk" and not a bill....well, that does make for a red letter day!  I have had so many beautiful, hand written notes in the past months-- Linda Phillips, Colleen Murphy, Terri Thompson, Sandy Slade, Bill Brison, and the list goes on.  And it means so much.  I keep them in a box in my studio for safe-keeping!  My most recent came from  a cat named Coco and was addressed to Eddie, but it was composed and mailed by my amazing friend, Lynda Gregory.  And it is not the first silly thing I have had from Lynda that makes me laugh.  Thank you Lynda for thinking of me (and Eddie) and bringing some smiles to us..:))  And thanks to Coco.

Coco the Cat with Winnie and Gumbert

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"Maysville, Clooney, and Maggie"

What a beautiful ending to another great workshop in Maysville, KY!  I am scheduled to return  here next year, last week of October 2011--which is good 'cause it feels like home..:))  From Barbara who says she thought this was her 6th workshop with me (I call these people repeat offenders..:) to Ann, Bill, Cheryl, Rene and Susan who I met for the first time--it was altogether an incredible 3 days! 

Ann Tristani, Claudia, Susan, Marilyn, Rene, Donna, Vicki (missing from photo due to photographer (me) forgetting to snap photo earlier...) Bill Brison, Sarah, Barbara, Anne, Betsy, Ann, Barbara, Brenda, and Cheryl.  The girls you see here hung around and helped me pack up all my stuff---how sweet is that!! 

Some of the girls ran into Nick Clooney  at one of the local restaurants and he sang to them.  I am thinking he did so after hearing about his son, George, being an "almost" guest on  my internet radio show.  Just sayin'...

 Another day in the paint mines....

We played some good music for our musical easels exercise and Bill danced. At least I think that's what he was doing...

Workshops can be unpredictable--you think you know people 'til you spend three days with them and their loaded paintbrushes.... 

So one workshop is ending and another one begins...next Friday in Lexington, KY.  Just the right amount of time to rest my feet, paint some paintings, and let Eddie wear on my last nerve....

Gratitude Mission, Day 5: Thank someone who makes a loved one’s life better

#30Thanks Day 5




My husband's friend is who I would like to thank today.  This friend of 4 years has been responsible for so many good things in my husbands life.  They hang out together and I notice Ron is always more relaxed for having done so.  Everyone needs a great listener in their life and this friend is one of the best I've seen.  This friend has  even influenced my husband in taking better care of himself, getting some regular walking time in spite of a hectic schedule.  They like the same movies, the same food--they even have the same taste  in furniture!  And to beat it all--it's a girl.  Good thing I'm not jealous.  Thanks Maggie for being the best friend a guy could have and making Ron's life so good, every day.  I think you are awesome no matter what Eddie says.

                                                                 
                                                                                    Maggie Pin It