January Simple Things

though January
sometimes wraps
with bitter cold
 

I choose
the simple things
bringing light
and love
to my soul

I choose
chocolate eyes

Billy’s snow covered nose
after snuffling
through the snow

I choose
the written word
pages crackly with age

sepia toned photographs
ancestors 

notes
loved one’s
 old school books
lovingly saved
passed down

by mother
a family
love
laughter
tears
giggles shared
hugs

from friends
both near
far
snuggles

Missy Hope
purring
on my lap

I choose
sunlight

on my shoulder
in my vision
the light of new day
a whisper

of angels
dancing through

pink clouds
with the wind
in the chimes
music

touching
every breath
of my being
embracing
emitting from my very
own vocal

chords
of love
hope
courage

spreading out
as angels
touch gentle
yet strong
through the world
its sadness

a word simple
yet not
 

console

For Simple Things ~ the creation of Christina at Soul Aperture.

Angels be with you.

I love vintage

A few years ago I saw many friends collecting vintage - fabrics, papers, books. I thought because I did not have opportunities to attend flea markets or to go to this kind of shop I did not have opportunities for this kind of collecting. I did know that there were some antiquish kind of things in the very farm home where I grew up. However I was not aware of the extend of the possibilities until I started asking, until I started snooping. AH - treasure found. There were fabrics. There were papers. There were books. I am so fortunate. And I have started to find other opportunities. They are there.
Just a few days ago my friend Sherry introduced me to the art of Cath Kidston. I had not been aware. Ummm - exactly the kind of fabrics and styles and ideas I love.
From the book Cath Kidston's In Print:

And just a couple of examples of the lovely fabrics I have in my possession or very close at hand.

 

 

 

As I listen to Canada for Haiti ~ finding beauty in this time of sadness, finding beauty in this time of hope.

empty pages

 

 

 

without cease

These words come to my mind so easily this day. How many people in the world are still thinking, and  praying, without cease, for the situation in Haiti? Most certainly there are those with seemingly "no heart". Yet I see around me so much good, so much thought, so much consideration, for these people, this land of Haiti, which was already so impoverished.
I choose to not listen to the news. I choose to not see the pictures. My heart already bleeds for all the sadness in the world. Instead I will try to concentrate on peace and calm and joy, that my prayers, my thoughts, may perhaps impart some tiny bit of calm to those in fear, in grief, in suffering. I will concentrate on sending angels to whatever poor suffering souls may recognize some tiny bit of light within their darkness.

 I will try to share with you some of the people whom I have encountered online who are trying to help, some who are, or have been, very near geographically, and still others who are near in spirit. Please put thought to ways in which you may be able to help. Every tiny bit makes a difference.
The Livesay [Haiti] blog was brought to my attention a couple of days ago. I find it more comfortable to read than looking to ongoing news coverage. I know the tragedy is immense. As I said - trying to maintain for myself some calm.
Jenny Doh at her CRESCENDOh blog has written a thoughtful article where she also introduces Rebecca Sower who recently visited Haiti and speaks to the importance of trying to assist crafters of Haiti at the recently opened Haiti by Hand etsy shop.  At the time I am preparing this post I observe there are currently no items for sale. I am certain Rebecca will be attempting to list more hearts as soon as possible.

There are numerous ways of assisting fiancially. We chose to donate to Unicef as that is a place we have been donating for many years. Where will YOU choose to donate? How will you choose to assist? I know that you will be helping through thought, and prayer (if that is what you believe).

Angels be with you dear friends as you continue to hold hope within your heart for those near and dear to you as well as for those most needing hope in this time.

~ ((((Haiti))))  ~

comfort

I have never before chosen to have a "word" for a New Year. Yet I have observed many of my friends doing so when January rolls round. Sometimes I see these words even before the New Year has begun. For myself, it typically seems that I believe in taking each new day as it comes, each new moment as it arrives. Please do not get me wrong. I am not criticizing. I think that recording dreams and goals and "to dos" is a very marvelous way of being organized and very much working towards these ends or perhaps more preferably stated as "beginnings".

This year seemed different. I had no intention of picking a word though perhaps I felt I could. One day as I was reclined on our bed, not quite ready to begin my day officially, I was thinking about those things I MUST remember to do. I reminded self that I must remember to drop my shoulders frequently. I must remember to get up from my computer (or sewing machine once I get back to it) on a regular basis and do some stretches. I must move from one foot to the other occasionally while standing that I might be more grounded. And then my list of not quite 100 dreams. So many of those dreams ~ dance, sing, relax, create ~ seemed to lead me to one word. The word practically jumped right into my conscious. I thought - IT'S MY WORD! I will share it. I will make art with it. I will try to remember it - everyday!

of dreams

I was invited to participate in a group. Not only was I excited to enter because it is new and sounds exciting, but I am enthused because the young lady who invited me, Andrea, is also from Canada, actually from Winnipeg and in the scheme of things Winnipeg is not so very far away. I am dreaming of meeting in person more of the on-line friends I have encountered and I believe that if they live closer to me and in Canada, there is a much better possibility of that happening.
This group is about making dreams come true. Because I've not been doing much art lately and because I prefer that to spending more time at the computer typing, I decided to journal my list of 100 dreams which Andrea has suggested.

I actually ran out of time today so my list only has about 70 so far.

I believe that is a good start considering my "word" for this year, which I will share with you in a day or two. I only started the list today. I was also working on some other art for another post.

My list of dreams:

 OH, do not pay too much attention to some of these dreams. I am getting a bit old(er) and ... Maybe I should say that this list should be rated perhaps a PG13. And please note that I just wrote as things came to mind. OK, I am talking about number 14. It all fits together with my word.

Number 17 is quite important. I'll need to explain more about that in another post as well.

I should also comment about the grey area between dreams and "to dos". I think sometimes the list slips more into a "to do" but maybe that is part of what dreams are about.

Happy dreaming dear friends.

angel blessings

Over the past few years I have so frequently felt angel blessings showering down upon me.

 I decided, perhaps subconsciously, to start sending the angel blessings on to others as well.

 

 In the past days I have received physical gifts of angels. Suze and Serena were very kind to send me angels - lovely pictures, words and music. Thank you both so much.

All angels are appreciated, hopefully never overlooked.

 I would like to share with you some details of my life, my situation. I choose to do this only because I want you to understand to some extent how important the angels are to me and ways in which they have touched my life. I want you to feel surrounded by angels as you read this. I would like for you to disregard huge feelings of concern you may experience. You might pray for me and send further angels if you choose.

January has almost always been an extremely difficult month for me. About seven years ago I was nearly suicidal. The angels did not seem apparent to me, yet I must have felt their presence. Now seven years later, even with a red sore nose and major sinus congestion, even on days which have been cloudy or very cold, I am near filled with energy and enthusiasm. Please note I write this early in January of the year 2010.

At the time seven years ago when I was so very depressed,



I was allowed the opportunity to do some writing. I found it to be very therapeutic. A number of months later I found the visual arts again. I also discovered a world of friends available to me through the online world. That is where many of the angels have been sent to me and where I often choose to share angel blessings.

 You are wondering why the depression. I could go into great length. I actually started writing an autobiography within the past seven years. Then I realized I was ready to move forward. The angels had assisted with the initial healing.

I discovered that art could bring the angels to me in such a playful manner. Rather than a long and detailed narrative, I will try to collapse the specifics into more digestible chunks.

Probably the main factor affecting my health, my psyche, is the diabetes which I have had since I was 3 1/2 years old.



Some 49 years ago there were not the same methods and understanding of treatment. Yes, there was insulin, but not nearly the specialized types and knowledge of how to use. There were no insulin pumps. There was no easy method of checking blood sugars other than going to a lab and having blood drawn. Diet was, even more so, strictly controlled. There were other influences. When he was much younger, my father had an older sister who had diabetes requiring insulin.



She had died at the age of 13 years. Twenty years prior to my developing diabetes there was this trauma. Now that I think about Winnie, I recall that she had died in January.



So you see, my entire family, both those tightest to me as well as the whole extended family, knew of Winnie's life and death. I suspect they were a bit apprehensive.



My diabetes has never been well controlled. Instead, the diabetes has controlled me. Even now when I am 52 years old I must practice very much to not let the diabetes take control. I have been fortunate. I have no complications to this time. I did get a scare when a couple of months ago I got a call from my Doctor to say that I needed to have monthly urine tests because some protein had appeared in a recent urinalysis. With only a telephone call in my busy life, I did not initially grasp the possible horrific possibilities that could have been suggested. I did not ask questions. Only a few days later did the angels help me to realize the possibilities and to then round up more angels within myself to attempt to NOT let the diabetes take control. The prevention of complications for a person with diabetes is of utmost importance. I started to feel yet again that I had failed.



Angels to the rescue. I would not allow myself to believe that I was starting into kidney disease.



About three weeks later I met with my diabetes educator who helped me to understand that the test is extremely sensitive and might not really be indicative of any problems whatsoever. That is why the need for the repeat tests every month. Loretta and I decided to waste little time on complaining about the Doctor who had neglected to tell me about what the test might and might not indicate. Instead we let the angels guide us in trying to look at minute ways in which we might still deal with the ever erratic blood sugars and bring me, even at this stage, to a more wonderful state of healthiness.

Another chapter requires me to tell you of our daughter



who came to live with us at the age of ten months. Katherine had experienced severe asthma when she was a baby, the main reason we were not allowed to adopt her at an earlier stage of her existence. Katherine is now 18 years of age. Together with the typical teen issues our beautiful angel of a daughter



has been given the labels of ADD together with ODD to name a few. Please do not get me wrong about the "labels". The only reason I share them with you is that you might get some inkling of the complexity of our daughter. I by no means want to belittle her. I hate labels.

Because of our daughter's sensory issues, not as severe as someone with full blown autism, her brain frequently does not make the proper connections. Over the years I, and Katherine's Dad,



have done everything in our strength and capabilities to assist her. This has not been easy, yet our daughter



is a wonderful young lady. I truly believe that she is an angel

on a difficult path and that I have been given the privilege of trying to assist her on her path.



Most certainly her future is uncertain but it is no more uncertain than any one of ours.
Seven years ago I was neglecting my own health in the struggle to assist our daughter. My feelings of self esteem were most certainly at an all time low. Together with believing, as ever, that I was not doing the best for myself because of the ever present diabetes, I felt also that I was a failure as a parent (actually a very typical feeling of parents with children of ODD). This, even though I was giving all my energies to daughter. We were not yet fully aware of our daughter's issues and the school system was still struggling even more so to get some grasp of how to best help her. Our daughter was beautiful and charismatic. Contrary to her father and mother's personalities, she was, and ever continues to be, totally extroverted. The normal hormonal influences continued to lead many of her teachers and support staff to believe she was a "normal" child going through an extremely difficult transitional period. I frequently felt as though I was banging my head on a brick wall when trying to "teach the teachers" (as I was asked frequently to do by one of the main school staff angels who DID understand).

A call went to the angels to carry me in their arms. They responded. I know they have always been with me but there are those times when they were especially needed.

The angels have truly guided me along the path I have chosen. All of the angels you have sent to me in either a physical or spiritual form, have assisted me in each tiny step. I thank you whole heartedly. I will continue to treasure each and every one. I will also continue in whatever way I can for as long as I am able to share those blessings with you.

And so dear friends, I offer that "angels be with you."

Remembering

The year is new. The week is new. The moment is new. Somehow I have lost track of much of the art I created in the past year, the past weeks, the past moments. Or perhaps I could say I lost track of how to share it with you.
Today I was remembering some of that art. I think I have convinced myself that I could move on to new thoughts and ideas. I have convinced myself that I do not have to try to catch up on all those thoughts left in my brain and not shared with you. The pictures however - they are timeless.

I will endeavour to spice my sharings with some of that art left forgotten. This particular young lady is from a canvas I was painting in July, or maybe it was early August. I introduce to you Angelina from "Fragility of Life".