Misty Morning – Mars, PA – January, 2017
Oh misty morning…
with your subtle and mellow beauty,
You are like a soft veil creating the illusion
of a world that is blemish and scar free.
You are a gentle beginning
to the realities of the day.
Oh misty morning…
will you please just stay?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Freedom
Remember when
freedom was
being able to pump your legs
on your own
instead of being pushed
so that you could swing so high
you felt you could kick the sky?
You felt the wind
in your face
and butterflies
in your stomach
and you felt
like you were flying.
It was freedom.
And then you would choose
just the right moment
when you would leap
and let go
and truly fly
if only for a moment.
It was freedom.
My hope…
my prayer…
my wish…
my longing…
my yearning…
to the world
and to the universe
is that everyone…
no matter your
gender,
race,
religion,
sexual orientation,
or ethnicity
is afforded the right
and the privilege
to recall that feeling
and to achieve
the reality
of that freedom
we all deserve.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Foggy
When life gets foggy,
and my thoughts are foggy,
and my eyes are foggy early in the morning,
I step outside
and look to nature
and listen to how she handles it.
And I hear the owls hoot
and the turkeys gobble
and the birds tweet,
and everything
seems much more
clear.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Abstract watercolor in pink and green 9×12
I do not wish to talk politics here,
because I choose to keep things positive.
But this is what I did while watching.
I just sat cross-legged with a block of paper, a brush, and a palette,
and this is what came to life.
I have no idea what it is supposed to be.
It may have begun as a pink rose that just grew and grew
and grew and grew as I watched and listened and dropped paint down.
I wasn’t sure if I would share it here as I have no clue if it is artistic
or creative or even appealing to anyone.
But to me, it is cheerful and happy and bright.
And I think, more than the political climate,
my heart and mind are thinking and dreaming of my first grandchild in several weeks!
And that makes me VERY happy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Pink Peony bud ready to bloom, Mars, PA – June 2016
That moment….
right before
you open up
and come out of your shell…
It is when you reveal
your true colors,
your full potential,
your ultimate possibilities,
your complete self.
It is a defining moment,
when you reveal your vulnerability,
and step out of your comfort zone.
There is such beauty
in that moment….
right before.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Open your eyes.
Close your narrow views.
Open your ears.
Close your inner negative thoughts.
Open your mind.
Close your ignorance.
Open your heart.
Close your hate.
Open your arms.
Close them in a hug.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Can you remember
who you were
before the world
told you who
you should be?
Be brave
and be that person.
It is undoubtedly
the best you
you can be.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sittin’ on the dock of the bay
watching the……
geese and birds and fishermen and rowers,
cars and bikers and joggers and walkers.
Soaking up the early Spring sunshine after a fun little field trip day with hubby on Saturday.
We stopped by the Three Rivers Rowing Association Youth Boathouse in Pittsburgh.
As I snapped photos, I was drawn to this beat up ole’ beauty that sat alone
amidst all the sleek and shiny new sweep and sculling boats.
It’s beauty caught my eye the most.
Kind of like people.
Youth is sleek and shiny and new and beautiful,
but the real beauty that more often catches my attention
is the kind that emanates from the wrinkles on the face of the older woman
who has spent decades loving and smiling and laughing
with her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
or the rough and calloused, knotty, sun-spotted hands of an old man
who worked hard all his life to support his family.
Hands with map-like veins protruding as if telling a story of the places he’d gone and the things he’d done.
Hands that hurt, yet gently stroke his wife’s cheek, guide his children’s path, and cradle his grandchildren.
Yep – sittin’ on the dock of the….. river….
wasting time?
Maybe not.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Photo submission for the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Half-Light: Share a photo inspired by a poem, verse, song lyric or story. Also in loving memory of “Poops” Pap McKinney, who we remember lovingly today on his birthday.
Tulips on Arches 140 lb hot press 9 x 12
I woke up yesterday thinking tulips….
thinking Spring….
so wanting to paint tulips.
I awoke to a rainy Monday…
feeling earlier than it was with the time change…
going to the gym and getting to work.
But as the day progressed….
the afternoon brought sunshine and warmth…
and by dinnertime, the temperatures were above 70 degrees F.
After dinner, I grabbed a sheet of watercolor paper…
A full sheet – 9 x 12 inches…
and I sat on the deck with flips flops and sun still shining.
And I painted tulips…
loose and free and Springy….
and this is how they turned out.
Happy Spring!
Happy Tulips!
Happy HeArt!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Painting, drawing, creating….
Cooking, baking, feeding….
Eating, exercising, relaxing..
Reading, writing, rhyming…
Exploring, photographing, dreaming….
Celebrating, experiencing, observing…
Singing, laughing, talking…
Watching, crying, listening..
Loving, sharing, growing…
Working, playing, enjoying time with family and friends…
It isn’t that hard!
Do More of What Makes YOU Happy!
#CherishTheMoments
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 