Holiday Hope

This is the time of year when many people complain about what they don't have. They make huges lists of material 'must haves" for Santa to bring or for other people to buy because they think life will be better with them.

For others, this is a time of year when we remember the less fortunate. Those without food, shelter or warmth. Those who are battling life-threatening illnesses. Those who don't have any family members left and feel totally alone. Big TVs, Ipods, computers, diamonds or fancy cars wouldn't fill their needs or their hearts.

 

What all of us need to keep in mind in any of these situations is that people care. I still believe that good outweighs bad. So let's remember the less fortunate in this season of giving. Let's show them that hope is always on the horizon.

Wishing you all who celebrate, A Very Merry Christmas. Sharing with you week after week is one of my greatest gifts of all!

( And for those of you who don't know my secret signature, the 3 cypress trees are always in my heart. They represent the 3 cats we drove from Rhode Island to California with 18 years ago. I miss them dearly and feel blessed to have had them in my life for so many years. Merry Christmas, boys.)

( click the image to see hope on the horizon!)

This is a repost from 2007, but worthy today.

xoxo

Lo

To Market, to market...

No, not to buy a fat pig, but to show up for work here!

For the first time in fifteen years I will be showing up for a regular job rather than being self-employed. And for the first time in two years I will have a much needed income. 

The quote above says so much. I have, for the past two years, not taken very good care of myself. It shows physically in my weight and it has worn me down emotionally. That is so opposite of how I usually treat my body.

So now I have another chance to get it right.

I feel so lucky to have landed a job in spite of feeling like an invisible, heavy, middle-aged woman.

I'm so grateful for the man who saw through to the real me.

I'm not a number on a scale.

I'm not invisible.

And now, finally, I am employed. 

Wish me luck!

xo

Lo♥

Six Word Saturday # 16

Storms lift

Hopes rise

Spirits restore.

For more Six Words, please click here.

To all my friends going through horrific weather and personal struggles. xoxo♥

Thankful Thursday: Mellow Yellow

This post has taken a turn from my original plans. I was going to post some goodies I was lucky to receive from some of you wonderful ladies, but now that I opened my mail not fifteen minutes ago I knew I had to make this post about Renee.

I promised myself to always keep fresh yellow flowers in my studio as a way of always having her spirit with me. Yellow was her favorite color and she adored fresh flowers.

So after putting the flowers in water I go to the mailbox and there's a package from Margaret at Waterblossoms. Most of you already know her and love her as I do.

She did a post about Renee (here) on March 15th. Margaret really picked up on the essence of Renee's spirit immediately and conveyed it beautifully in her post and in the beautiful ATC she painted.

Today, as part of the package she sent me is the original ATC and printouts of the post and all the comments and a beautiful card thanking me for introducing her to Renee.

This is the original ATC in all its glory. It's a sight to behold in person, really.

Peg said that as she painted it it was as if she had a butterfly on her shoulder telling her muse what to do, line by line, brushful by brushful. She went on to write,

"It sang of renewal and light and rebirth...it sang of the lessons I personally gleaned from Renee...it sang of a free spirit and serenity. This original belongs to you~I will have it no other way...thanks for sharing Renee with me!" Peg ♥

Thanks so much Peg. You have no idea how much that moved me.

This is the stunning card and envelope it came in. Sorry for the shadows, I was just trying to find some natural light and the kitchen was the only sunny spot.

More goodies from her (and more shadows!)

This wonderful tin box really intrigued me. I opened it up and saw a string hanging out which contained this little pink package with a tag that read: "Handmade bookmark~I use mine in my sketchbook. The beads on yours reminded me of your clarity and focus and spirituality. Notice one bead is for your life in California too!"

I wish the pictures were better, but I think you get the idea of the beauty!

And look what was inside the box besides the little bookmark. Another stunning ATC of one of her amazing hearts. This one is called 'Rhapsody in Blue.'

It reads : Thinking of you and the love and positive energy you give to all. Thanks for your insights and freshness. I always feel a warm wave of serenity from your art." 

Ditto Ms. Margaret (Peg) Waterblossom! ♥♥♥

Here is the stunning original!

And here is a wonderful ATC print that was in the butterfly card saying "May your artistic muse continue to flourish and grow in this season of renewal."

I can tell you it flourishes because of all of you and your continued support ;)

On a closing note, KJ is putting together a chapbook of what Renee meant to all of us. If you'd like to know more about it and would like to be included no matter how briefly you knew her, please let KJ know on her blog. The book is "Renee's Book of Love."

I haven't been too well for some time now and one of the gifts Renee gave to me is when she said she wished she had taken better care of herself. I've heard those words from so many people, myself included, but it was just lip-service. This time I heard them loud and clear and decided to do what it takes to get back in the race and be healthy. I've had a lot of tests lately, some results are not so great but I can turn all of it around.

I'm on a good pace and I'm not looking back. I'm looking ahead to at least 40 more years!

In her dying words she gave me the gift of life. Maybe because I was ready. Or maybe I was just waiting for the right messenger. Either way, I'm on my way to good health and I'm grateful.

Please run over to KJ's!! Thank you, and lots of love from me. xoxo ♥ 

Six Word Saturday # 5

In Spring,

hope reaches us all.

For more six words, click here!

Six Word Saturday

Even in despair

there is

light

The original post for this painting can be found here.

IF : Wise Advice

There are many people out there who don't have anyone. No one to share their stories with. No one to eat dinner with or to sit on the porch steps and chat with. No one to comfort them when they're feeling sad or lonely.

Most times all these folks need is just five minutes of listening with an open heart. Someone to tell them there are better days ahead. Someone to encourage them and show them why it's worth getting out of bed in the morning.

Be that someone. Be inspired to change someone's life with a simple kindness.

Your life will be enriched tenfold.

IF : Sugary

He talked a blue streak about how wonderful things were gonna be.

Damn, I swore I wouldn't fall for those sugary promises again.

Dining room table sketch on a paper bag, graphite and paint.

IF : Sail Anyway

When we find ourselves in the middle of a storm, sometimes we just have to sail through it and trust we'll come out the other side.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Acrylic on canvas for Illustration Friday's prompt: sail

(The original is so much moodier and darker than it shows here. For sale in my Etsy shop!)

IF : Tree

Not far from downtown there's a rusted, old abandoned space-metal building sitting in a state of decay from neglect. There are several block shapes spray-painted in random colors as though graffiti artists used the side of the building to test their new cans before tagging the local businesses and schools.

In spite of the blacktop surrounding this building, a small tree pushed its way through the asphalt-covered ground several years ago. The part of the building behind the tree makes such a beautiful backdrop, like a giant patchwork quilt sewn together stitch by stitch, always there to embrace this tree.

It's Redbird's favorite place, especially in the afternoon when the sun glows on the warm colors of the quilted metal. It's as though Redbird gives the tree a reason to stay alive with the promise of her daily return.

What some may perceive as decay and neglect, Redbird finds a sacred space that welcomes her with warmth, grace and beauty.

reposted for Illustration Friday's prompt: Tree
 Acrylic and colored pencils on scrapbook paper.

IF : The Horizon

This is the time of year when many people complain about what they don't have. They make huges lists of material 'must haves" for Santa to bring or for their parents to buy because they think life will be better with them.

For others, this is a time of year when we remember the less fortunate. Those without food, shelter or warmth. Those who are battling life-threatening illnesses. Those who don't have any family members left and feel totally alone. Big TVs, Ipods, computers, diamonds or fancy cars wouldn't fill their needs or their hearts.

What all of us need to keep in mind in any of these situations is that people care. I still believe that good outweighs bad. So let's remember the less fortunate in this season of giving. Let's show them that hope is always on the horizon.

Wishing you all who celebrate, A Very Merry Christmas. Sharing with you week after week is one of my greatest gifts of all!

( And for those of you who know my secret signature, the 3 cypress trees are always in my heart. They represent the 3 cats we drove from Rhode Island to California with 14 years ago. I miss them dearly and feel blessed to have had them in my life for so many years. Merry Christmas, boys.)

Done for the Illustration Friday prompt, "Horizon." acrylic, Prismacolor pencils on bristol. ( click to see hope on the horizon!)

IF : Excess of Yellow Birds

This is an illustration I did for the cover of a new picture book I've been working on aptly named, "The Yellow Bird Tree." It's the story of a little village boy who had been quite ill for a while. So ill, in fact, he never left his room. The elder doctor of the village said the only hope left was to say a prayer each time you see a yellow bird, and ask the yellow bird to deliver the prayer to the little boy. This is the sight he sees one day when he finally gets out of bed and opens his balcony doors! The tree was bursting with little yellow birds, and more were still coming for miles.

This is a story about hope and the power of prayer.

Now if I'd just finish the darn thing and get it to an eager publisher :)

Stop by and see what I did for this word in my Moleskine.

IF : Lolo At The Zoo

This week's prompt for Illustration Friday is "The Zoo." I can't hear that word without remembering The Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, near where I grew up. I was only six years old in this photo, 1959. This is Mabel, the matriarch of the gorilla colony at Franklin Park. She and I were good friends right from the start. We used to talk about what we'd do when we'd get out into that big world waiting for us . (I could talk to animals all of my life.) She worried about her little one, Hank, but she knew that there would be a better world waiting for him without barriers and barricades. He'd have better opportunities than she had. He wouldn't have to live in the confines of the city. It just didn't seem right to sit in the short, mown grass and watch cars go by. Not right at all. Yeah, Hank would do just fine as long as he could find his way out.

As soon as my parents and I got to the zoo I could smell the popcorn and roasted peanuts mixed with the smell of the monkeys and elephants. It was heaven to me! My six year old hands would grasp the cold bars of the monkeys' cages while they looked at me, anticipating a treat of some kind. I'd name them all and make plans for each and every one of us to meet again. I'd run to the aviary filled with the most magnificently colored birds that filled the air with their shrieking, shrilling calls.

Franklin Park Zoo was a much needed escape from my hard life at home. It's amazing to me that my parents even took me there. It just tells me that in spite of the hard times, they tried. They really did the best they could. But it was Mabel who taught me to be strong.

I used to pick flowers for Mabel whenever I got the chance to go to the zoo to see her. As you can see, I would stand beside her and we'd talk for hours, sharing secrets and planning life's strategies. She was the heart and soul of Franklin Park.

We moved around a lot when I was growing up and I never got to say goodbye to Mabel. She knew I had to follow my parents as a youngster, but she also knew I'd grow up to be okay. She often comes to me in my dreams and I wake up laughing, not being able to tell anyone I felt gorilla breath on me last night and how wonderful it was!

You know, Mabel and I weren't suited for the city yet somehow we found each other and gave each other strength and hope. Man oh man, that's what life is all about.

Thank you, Mabel.

Love always, Lolo

IF : Grow

I've been in a funny mood these days. Just a bit 'out of sorts' but I can't quite put my finger on the whys of it all. I'm wondering if it's because winter is setting in and my body is going into hibernation mode. I've had some stressful pet care cases which always do a number on me, but I think it's more than that. I think I need a break. Some sort of a 'pulling in' to take care of my own cries. When I saw the topic for this week I loved it, but ironically I came up blank. I sat at my studio all day today and this is finally what I came up with. I admire the mushroom that grows in the dank, darkest of places. In fact, it thrives in those conditions. I spent a large amount of time looking for inspirational quotes about mushrooms and didn't come up with anything, but I did come up with this quote on growth. And it's about nature, which is my church.

"Day by day I grow more knowing in the ways of the trees and the moss and the snow on the ground, and all things are my friends."

Knut Hamsun

So here I go into hibernation, willingly. But I won't miss an Illo Friday entry, no sir.

acrylic on canvas 6"x6"

Illustration Friday: Sprout...of hope for the earth

I saw a photograph of a young African woman in a recent issue of National Geographic and something about her face really moved me. She was living in a dark room with no plumbing, no electricity, no clean water, no medicine and no schools. She lives in one of the "wealthiest" oil regions of the world, but instead of the promise of riches and a good life, the very source they'd hoped would make their lives more abundant had them living below poverty. Pollution from the oil refineries are killing the fish that used to sustain them, and crime is at an all time high. The future is very bleak. I'd like to think this young woman will be one of many who won't stand for the destruction of our earth. I found this quote that I imagine her chanting, over and over and over again. And like the seedling in her tiny window, it became a sprout which will eventually become a tree to help heal the earth.

"I have come to terms with the future. From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth. Plant trees. Kill no living things. Live in harmony with all creatures. I will restore the earth where I am. Use no more of its resources than I need. And listen, listen to what it is telling me. "- M. J. Slim Hooey

Acrylic and colored pencil on scrapbooking paper....click to enlarge image