Art Journaling Madness

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Anais Nin must have been talking about me with that quote. The day is here and opening into a blossom is a thrilling experience.

My struggle with art has always been that I felt I wasn't "creating" anything. Sure, I was making paintings, but in analyzing the process I told myself I was copying what I saw and learning techniques to complete the painting.

I envied the students in my art class at the community college who could come up with the most wild ideas and turn it into a painting. So, imagine the joy when I discovered art journaling. There are so many books, websites, and videos that talk about art journaling. This process is truly creative. Start with a blank page, slop on some acrylics, watercolors, or collage pieces and take off! I'm still a bit "tight" with my planning of the page because I like to have my page speak to a subject. But with practice, that tightness might disappear.For now, I'll just continue opening my petals and soak in that sunshine of creativity.

**Footnote....for those of you who can't seem to get started creating, you might have the problem I had. Disorganization! I had to set up a corner of the room just for art journaling with all the supplies I use within an arm's reach. There's nothing more annoying than to constantly be jumping up to retrieve a tool, paper, paint, or scissors from various places

in the room or closet.

Comfort Zones

Yesterday was a day like no other. I stepped out of my comfort zone, and was blessed.

I visited with inmates at the prison and walked away feeling grateful that I had come.

Yes...comfort zones are made to be stepped out of.


Matthew 25:34-36 Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, 'Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.'

Relationship on the Highwire

I'm not an authority on the bird world. Actually I can't speak with authority on anything, but that subject will be tackled another day. So, read this posting as "thoughts from a bird brain."

Here in Phoenix, we're recovering from quite a severe rain storm. I often wonder where the birds hide to survive during the winds that force the rain to fly in a horizontal pattern.

The day after the storm hit, while the sky was still a slate gray dotted with menacing clouds, I spotted many birds lined up on the electrical wires like notes on a music staff. It's not an unusual sight during the winter. Why, I wonder, do they take roost out in the open when they could be comfortably hidden in the dense natal plum bushes that line the base of our house. Possibly the wires are warm and it's a substitute for socks on their feet? Afterall, if your feet are warm, your body feels warmer.

Another thing I've noticed is how they usually group together. Sometimes twenty or thirty in a row...evenly spaced I might add. Yet, they seem to be only a wings-width apart; just close enough to have physical contact with a fellow bird. Perhaps they experience a sense of security with the others in close proximity.

I may never know the answers to these silly musings, but it gives my bird brain exercise.

P.S. Look closely at the picture (taken from National Geographic). Even in Birdworld, you'll find a comedian in the crowd!

Luke 12:6,7 What's the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Not much more than that. Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And he knows the number of hairs on your head! Never fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

The Memory Box

Oh No! Here it comes, sneaking up on me without warning. They say it happens to everyone, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Now it's time to deal with it...memory loss.

First it manifests itself in simple things like "Hmmm...where did I put my glasses?", or "What do you mean, we already saw that movie?" Then it attacks more serious areas such as "What time is that meeting today, or is it tomorrow?, and "In which aisle did I park the car?"

So before my memory completely fails me, I will save some of it in my memory box. I won't bother saving the memories that begin with "I remember back in '82", because I'll always remember what happened in the past. It's the happenings of yesterday or even this morning that I might need to toss into the box. Then, when that memory loss sneaks up on me, I'll show it who's boss! I'll check my memory box ... and find the one I'm looking for floating around inside.