Trying to get a head

This is the latest in my stab at artistic possibilities. I am in a religious sculpture class with other seminarians. We are a mixed bag of old and young, priest and ministers, Americans and students from around the world. But we are complete novices. Some have more innate talent than the rest of us. The artist in residence who is teaching us is very gifted but a little nutty. All round it's a good scene. Totally non-judgemental. ("Judge not lest..."). So, with a leap of faith I grabbed wet clay in my hands and made my first attempt at sculpting. Clay feels so cool and smooth. I'm not thinking that my work is prize winning. The process is the gift. The other side of my brain feels aired out.

If we are created in the image of God then we are called to create. It's quite satisfying.

"Praise be to God for dappled things!"

Rest Stop

This is a FACT: We are ALL artists.

All of my life I have loved art. I let the beauty wash over me and transcend the moment. I was so envious of those with an artistic gift. I longed to express myself in color and form and texture. Finally, I released the need to be "good". I decided to paint just to delight myself. I took one class in watercolor and enjoyed buying brushes and tubes of paint. And then I started to paint. I like some of my paintings a lot. Some not so much. But I love the process. I love the act. I love expressing myself and releasing my creativity into concrete form. I recognize God as the creator. And I believe we are created in God's image. That includes the desire to create. This call is inside ALL of us. Don't be tyrannized by earthly judgements. Get in touch with your divine side. And for heaven's sake, don't wait.
(the painting above was done by me in summer 2010. It is the fifth painting I have done in my life.)

This is going to be the best day of my life!

My daughter was married this June and her new husband has a 6 year old daughter. As a result, I am a new Grandmother. She was visiting last night and she was filled with delight. "Tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life!" She was going to get off school and going to the aquarium with her best friend. Wow! Life was good! After she left I thought of how wonderful it must be to have that fresh and joyous approach to life. Then I thought, "What if I did?" So...
I had planned a short trip to the Jack Daniels Distillery with my husband and daughter. I decided to mimic my granddaughter. Throughout the day I kept saying to myself, "This is going to be the best day of my life!" This mantra seemed to refocus my mind and spirit. It rained and it was an outside tour. "The best day of my life!" It was sweltering. "The best day of my life!" I had swollen legs and used a wheel chair. "The best day of my life!" I was concerned that my daughter was having surgery tomorrow. "The best day of my life!" I said something stupid at lunch. "The best day of my life!" And I did have a wonderful day. After all, here I was, with the two people I love most in the world. We're together and it has the possibility to be the best day of my life! But only if I let it.
I want to expect to have the best day of my life every day.

Some Like It Sweet

Dear ones,
I LOVE zucchini bread. A dear friend (now deceased) gifted me with a cookbook from, "The Angel of the Sea", a bed and breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey. I've tried other recipes in the cookbook and I really liked them. (One is my go to recipe for spinach quiche.) After spending an inordinate and messy time hand grating zucchini I put the loaf in the oven and waited for the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg to fragrance my home. It did. Now comes the sad part. The bottom part of the loaf stuck to the pan. My sister-in-law says to always REALLY grease the pan. I guess she's right. Secondly, it wasn't sweet enough. The recipe called for only 1/2 cup sugar and I had my doubts. Unfortunately, I was right. The sad, little, crumbly, non sweet bread I worked so hard on was wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator. I had looked forward to a yummy slice of tea bread and cup of coffee and was very disappointed. Plus, I only have so much energy and I had spent so much on this project. Then I thought of honey! I took 3 tablespoons of softened butter and mixed it with 4 tablespoons of honey and stirred. It looked pale yellow and luscious. A small piece of my disappointment covered with honey butter transformed a "meh" into a "yeah!".
Lesson for today: Butter and Honey, it can't hurt.